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RIVERSIDE BOOKSHELF 


HEIDI 

By ^ 

JOHANNA SPYRI 

7 



With illustrations by 

GUSTAF TENGGREN 




BOSTON AND NEW YORK 


HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY 

^essi Cambribge 
1923 












COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY 
ALL‘rights reserved 


A 


CAMBRIDGE • MASSACHUSETTS 
PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. 


[ 


HO'I ' '^23 ^ ^ 

©C1A7G0980 .. 


CONTENTS 


I Up the Mountain to Alm-Uncle . . . . ii 

II At Home with Grandfather.30 

III Out with the Goats.41 

IV The Visit to Grandmother.59 

V Two Visits and What Came of Them . . 78 

VI A New Chapter about New Things ... 92 

VII Fraulein Rottenmeier Spends an Uncom¬ 
fortable Day.163 

V VIII There is Great Commotion in the Large 

House.122 

IX Herr Sesemann Hears of Things that are 

New to Him.136 

X Another Grandmother.144 

XI Heidi Gains in One Way and Loses in 

Another.157 

XII A Ghost in the House.164 

XIII A Summer Evening on the Mountain . .179 

XIV Sunday Bells.200 

XV Preparations for a Journey.217 

XVI A Visitor.226 

XVII A Compensation.238 

XVIII Winter in Dorfli.250 

XIX The Winter Continues.264 

XX News from Distant Friends.274 

XXI How Life went on at Grandfather’s . . . 296 

XXII Something Unexpected Happens . . . 307 

XXIII ‘‘ Good-bye Till We Meet Again ”... 327 

















“ All the rocks are burning, and the great 
snow mountain and the sky! ” Frontispiece 

Heidi was unable to take her eyes off him 26 

But if you were to go outside among all 
the white snow, then surely you would 
find it light” 68 


Heidi now awoke 


296 









INTRODUCTION 

Almost a hundred years ago in Herzel, Canton Zurich, 
Switzerland, a little girl was born who, many years la¬ 
ter, was to be loved not only by the children of her own 
country but in far distant lands. She was known to the 
villagers as “ the doctor’s daughter, little Johanna.” 
Later, when she married one of her schoolmates, her 
name became Johanna Spyri. This is the name that 
stands on the cover of “ Heidi,” one of the best-known 
books for children in the world. 

All about the little Johanna were great shaggy moun¬ 
tains, sapphire lakes, rocky gorges, foaming torrents, 
and high cascades. Sometimes she made trips to other 
parts of Switzerland, to the hill country garlanded with 
snowy peaks, gleaming lakes, and rivers. She would 
run and play with the other children in grassy mead¬ 
ows, and again she would stand in silence as though 
overcome by the lofty mountains. 

Her father, a beloved physician, her mother the pop¬ 
ular poet Neta Heuseris, is it any wonder that their 
home was a brilliant social center where celebrated men 
and women gathered ? Johanna had many brothers and 
sisters who added to the happy and wholesome spirit 
of her daily home life. At the same time the wonders 
of the world without that lay at her very door were fill¬ 
ing her heart with dreams that were to wait wistfully to 
be born. 

Madame Spyri was over fifty when, at the time of 
the Franco-Prussian War, a friend begged her to write 









10 


INTRODUCTION 


a story to sell for the benefit of the wounded soldiers. 
She answered the call. Then she found she had in her 
heart many stories to tell of life as she had always 
known and loved it in her precious Alps. She had seen 
children growing up safe and happy among the goats 
and birds, with nothing to harm them. 

When Schiller, Dante, Goethe, and other great poets 
were inspired by her Alps, is it any wonder, when she 
was finally ready to write, that her own heart was 
brimming over with delight in her country and a long¬ 
ing to bring it ever closer to the youth of the world? 
She knew the tender pathos, the innocent mirth, and 
the simple religion of the mountain child. Her stories 
are wholesome because her own childhood was whole¬ 
some. 

Born and cradled among the mountains, when the 
end came it was in the spot she would have chosen, 
her beloved Zurich. However, the life of this Swiss 
woman was not ended on that June day in i8gi. She 
lives on in her books, now translated into many lan¬ 
guages and prepared also for the blind. 

She often said she wanted American boys and girls to 
love her. And so you will, just as did your fathers and 
mothers before you were born. Boys and girls of the 
future will also read and love Heidi —the story of the 
simple life of a Swiss child. In this way will come 
true all the dreams of the doctor’s daughter, little Jo¬ 
hanna. 



F rom the old and pleasantly situated village oi 
Mayenfeld, a footpath winds through green 
and shady meadows to the foot of the moun¬ 
tains, which on this side look down from their stem 
and lofty heights upon the valley below. The land 
grows gradually wilder as the path ascends, and the 
climber has not gone far before he begins to inhale 
the fragrance of the short grass and sturdy mountain- 
plants, for the way is steep and leads directly up to 
the summits above. 

On a clear sunny morning in June two figures 
might be seen climbing the narrow mountain path; 
one a tall strong-looking girl, the other a child whom 
she was leading by the hand, and whose little cheeks 
were so aglow with heat that the crimson color 
could be seen even through the dark, suburnt skin. 
And this was hardly to be wondered at, for in spite 
of the hot June sun the child was clothed as if to 
keep off the bitterest frost. She did not look more 
than five years old, if as much, but what her natural 

figure was like, it would have been hard to say, for 

11 

















12 


HEIDI 


she had apparently two, if not three dresses, one 
above the other, and over these a thick red woollen 
shawl wound round about her, so that the little body 
presented a shapeless appearance, as, with its small 
feet shod in thick, nailed mountain-shoes, it slowly 
and laboriously plodded its way up in the heat. The 
two must have left the valley a good hour’s walk 
behind them, when they came to the hamlet known 
as Dbrfli, which is situated half-way up the mountain. 
Here the wayfarers met with greetings from all sides, 
some calling to them from windows, some from open 
doors, others from outside, for the elder girl was now 
in her old home. She did not, however, pause in her 
walk to respond to her friends’ welcoming cries and 
questions, but passed on without stopping for a mo¬ 
ment until she reached the last of the scattered houses 
of the hamlet. Here a voice called to her from the 
door: “Wait a moment, Dete; if you are going up 
higher, I will come with you.” 

The girl thus addressed stood still, and the child 
immediately let go her hand and seated herself on 
the ground. 

“Are you tired, Heidi?” asked her companion. 

“ No, I am hot,” answered the child. 

“We shall soon get to the top now. You must 
walk bravely on a little longer, and take good long 
steps, and in another hour we shall be there,” said 
Dete in an encouraging voice. 

They were now joined by a stout, good-natured- 
looking woman, who walked on ahead with her old 
acquaintance, the two breaking forth at once into 


UP THE MOUNTAIN 


13 


lively conversation about everybody and everything 
in Dorfli and its surroundings, while the child wan¬ 
dered behind them, 

“ And where are you of! to with the child? ” asked 
the one who had just joined the party. “ I suppose 
it is the child your sister left? ” 

“Yes,” answered Dete. “I am taking her up to 
Uncle, where she must stay.” 

“The child stay up there with Aim-Uncle! You 
must be out of your senses, Dete! How can you 
think of such a thing! The old man, however, will 
soon send you and your proposal packing off home 
again! ” 

“ He cannot very well do that, seeing that he is 
her grandfather. He must do something for her. I 
have had the charge of the child till now, and I can 
tell you. Barbel, I am not going to give up the chance 
which has just fallen to me of getting a good place, 
for her sake. It is for the grandfather now to do his 
duty by her.” 

“ That would be all very well if he were like other 
people,” asseverated stout Barbel warmly, “ but you 
know what he is. And what can he do with a child, 
especially with one so young! The child cannot pos¬ 
sibly live with him. But where are you thinking of 
going yourself? ” 

“To Frankfurt, where an extra good place awaits 
me,” answered Dete. “ The people I am going to 
were down at the Baths last summer, and it was part 
of my duty to attend upon their rooms. They would 
have liked then to take me away with them, but I 


14 


HEIDI 


could not leave. Now they are there again and have 
repeated their offer, and I intend to go with them, 
you may make up your mind to that! ” 

“ I am glad I am not the child! ” exclaimed Barbel, 
with a gesture of horrified pity. “Not a creature 
knows anything about the old man up there! He 
will have nothing to do with anybody, and never 
sets his foot inside a church from one year’s end to 
another. When he does come down once in a while, 
everybody clears out of the way of him and his big 
stick. The mere sight of him, with his bushy grey 
eyebrows and his immense beard, is alarming enough. 
He looks like any old heathen or Indian, and few 
would care to meet him alone.” 

“ Well, and what of that? ” said Dete, in a defiant 
voice, “ he is the grandfather all the same, and must 
look after the child. He is not likely to do her any 
harm, and if he does, he will be answerable for it, 
not I.” 

“ I should very much like to know,” continued 
Barbel, in an inquiring tone of voice, “ what the old 
man has on his conscience that he looks as he does, 
and lives up there on the mountain like a hermit, 
hardly ever allowing himself to be seen. All kinds 
of things are said about him. You, Dete, however, 
must certainly have learnt a good deal concerning 
him from your sister — am I not right?” 

“ You are right, I did, but I am not going to repeat 
what I heard; if it should come to his ears I should 
get into trouble about it.” 

Now Barbel had for long past been most anxious to 


UP THE MOUNTAIN 


IS 

ascertain particulars about Alm-Uncle, as she could 
not understand why he seemed to feel such hatred 
towards his fellow-creatures, and insisted on living 
all alone, or why people spoke about him half in 
whispers, as if afraid to say anything against him, and 
yet unwilling to take his part. Moreover, Barbel 
was in ignorance as to why all the people in Dorfli 
called him Alm-Uncle, for he could not possibly be 
uncle to everybody living there. As, however, it was 
the custom, she did like the rest and called the old 
man Uncle. Barbel had only lived in Dorfli since her 
marriage, which had taken place not long before. 
Previous to that her home had been below in Prat- 
tigau, so that she was not well acquainted with all the 
events that had ever taken place, and with all the 
people who had ever lived in Dorfli and its neighbor¬ 
hood. Dete, on the contrary, had been born in Dorfli, 
and had lived there with her mother until the death of 
the latter the year before, and had then gone over to 
the Baths at Ragatz and taken service in the large 
hotel there as chambermaid. On the morning of this 
day she had come all the way from Ragatz with the 
child, a friend having given them a lift in a hay-cart 
as far as Mayenfeld. Barbel was therefore deter¬ 
mined not to lose this good opportunity of satisfying 
her curiosity. She put her arm through Dete’s in a 
confidential sort of way, and said: “ I know I can 

find out the real truth from you, and the meaning of 
all these tales that are afloat about him. I believe 
you know the whole story. Now do just tell me 
what is wrong with the old man, and if he was always 


i6 HEIDI 

shunned as he is now, and was always such a misan¬ 
thrope.” 

“ How can I possibly tell you whether he was al¬ 
ways the same, seeing I am only six-and-twenty and 
he at least seventy years of age; so you can hardly 
expect me to know much about his youth. If I was 
sure, however, that what I tell you would not go the 
whole round of Prattigau, I could relate all kinds of 
things about him; my mother came from Domleschg, 
and so did he.” 

“ Nonsense, Dete, what do you mean? ” replied 
Barbel, somewhat offended, “ gossip has not reached 
such a dreadful pitch in Prattigau as all that, and I 
am also quite capable of holding my tongue when it 
is necessary.” 

“ Very well then, I will tell you — but just wait a 
moment,” said Dete in a warning voice, and she 
looked back to make sure that the child was not near 
enough to hear all she was going to relate; but the 
child was nowhere to be seen, and must have turned 
aside from following her companions some time be¬ 
fore, while these were too eagerly occupied with their 
conversation to notice it. Dete stood still and looked 
around her in all directions. The footpath wound a 
little here and there, but could nevertheless be seen 
along its whole length nearly to Dorfli; no one, how¬ 
ever, was visible upon it at this moment. 

‘‘ I see where she is,” exclaimed Barbel, “ look over 
there! ” and she pointed to a spot far away from the 
footpath. “ She is climbing up the slope yonder with 
the goatherd and his goats. I wonder why he is so 


UP THE MOUNTAIN 


17 


late to-day bringing them up. It happens well, how¬ 
ever, for us, for he can now see after the child, and 
you can the better tell me your tale.” 

“ Oh, as to the looking after,” remarked Dete, “ the 
boy need not put himself out about that; she is not by 
any means stupid for her five years, and knows how 
to use her eyes. She notices all that is going on, as 
I have often had occasion to remark, and this will 
stand her in good stead some day, for the old man 
has nothing beyond his two goats and his hut.” 

“ Did he ever have more? ” asked Barbel. 

“He? I should think so indeed,” replied Dete 
with animation; “ he was owner once of one of the 
largest farms in Domleschg. He was the elder of 
two brothers; the younger was a quiet, orderly man, 
but nothing would please the other but to play the 
grand gentleman and go driving about the country 
and mixing with bad company, strangers that no¬ 
body knew. He drank and gambled away the whole 
of his property, and when this became known to his 
mother and father they died, one shortly after the 
other, of sorrow. The younger brother, who was 
also reduced to beggary, went off in his anger, no 
one knew whither, while Uncle himself, having noth¬ 
ing now left to him but his bad name, also disap¬ 
peared. For some time his whereabouts were un¬ 
known, then some one found out that he had gone 
to Naples as a soldier; after that nothing more was 
heard of him for twelve or fifteen years. At the end 
of that time he reappeared in Domleschg, bringing 
with him a young child, whom he tried to place with 


i8 


HEIDI 


some of his kinspeople. Every door, however, was 
shut in his face, for no one wished to have any more 
to do with him. Embittered by this treatment, he 
vowed never to set foot in Domleschg again, and he 
then came to Dorfli, where he continued to live with 
his little boy. His wife was probably a native of the 
Orisons, whom he had met down there, and who died 
soon after their marriage. He could not have been 
entirely without money, for he apprenticed his son, 
Tobias, to a carpenter. He was a steady lad, and 
kindly received by every one in Dorfli. The old man 
was, however, still looked upon with suspicion, and 
it was even rumoured that he had been forced to 
make his escape from Naples, or it might have gone 
badly with him, for that he had killed a man, not in 
fair fight, you understand, but in some brawl. We, 
however, did not refuse to acknowledge our relation¬ 
ship with him, my great-grandmother on my mother’s 
side having been sister to^his grandmother. So we 
called him Uncle, and as through my father we are 
also related to nearly every family in Dorfli, he be¬ 
came known all over the place as Uncle, and since he 
went to live on the mountain side he has gone every¬ 
where by the name of Aim-Uncle.” 

‘‘And what happened to Tobias? ” asked Barbel, 
who was listening with deep interest. 

“ Wait a moment, I am coming to that, but I cannot 
tell you everything at once,” replied Dete. “ Tobias 
was taught his trade in Mels, and when he had served 
his apprenticeship he came back to Dorfli and mar¬ 
ried my sister Adelaide. They had always been fond 


UP THE MOUNTAIN 


19 


of one another, and they got on very well together 
after they were married. But their happiness did not 
last long. Her husband met with his death only two 
years after their marriage, a beam falling upon him 
as he was working, and killing him on the spot. 
They carried him home, and when Adelaide saw the 
poor disfigured body of her husband she was so over¬ 
come with horror and grief that she fell into a fever 
from which she never recovered. She had always 
been rather delicate and subject to curious attacks, 
during which no one knew whether she was awake 
or sleeping. And so two months after Tobias had 
been carried to the grave, his wife followed him. 
Their sad fate was the talk of everybody far and 
near, and both in private and public the general 
opinion was expressed that it was a punishment which 
Uncle had deserved for the godless life he had led. 
Some went so far even as to tell him so to his face. 
Our minister endeavored to awaken his conscience 
and exhorted him to repentance, but the old man 
grew only more wrathful and obdurate and would not 
speak to a soul, and every one did their best to keep 
out of his way. All at once we heard that he had 
gone to live up the Aim and did not intend ever to 
come down again, and since then he has led his sol¬ 
itary life on the mountain side at enmity with God 
and man. Mother and I took Adelaide’s little one, 
then only a year old, into our care. When mother 
died last year, and I went down to the Baths to earn 
some money, I paid old Ursel, who lives in the village 
just above, to keep and look after the child. I stayed 


20 


HEIDI 


on at the Baths through the winter, for as I could 
sew and knit I had no difficulty in finding plenty of 
work, and early in the spring the same family I had 
waited on before returned from Frankfurt, and again 
asked me to go back with them. And so we leave 
the day after to-morrow, and I can assure you, it is 
an excellent place for me.” 

‘‘ And you are going to give the child over to the 
old man up there? It surprises me beyond words 
that you can think of doing such a thing, Dete,” said 
Barbel, in a voice full of reproach. 

“ What do you mean? ” retorted Dete. ‘‘ I have 
done my duty by the child, and what would you have 
me do with it now? I cannot certainly take a child 
of five years old with me to Frankfurt. But where 
are you going to yourself. Barbel; we are now half 
way up the Aim? ” 

“ We have just reached the place I wanted,” 
answered Barbel. “ I had something to say to the 
goatherd’s wife, who does some spinning for me in 
the winter. So good-bye, Dete, and good luck to 
you! ” 

Dete shook hands with her friend and remained 
standing while Barbel went towards a small, dark 
brown hut, which stood a few steps away from the 
path in a hollow that afforded it some protection from 
the mountain wind. The hut was situated half way 
up the Aim, reckoning from Dorfli, and it was well 
that it was provided with some shelter, for it was so 
broken-down and dilapidated that even then it must 
have been very unsafe as a habitation, for when the 


UP THE MOUNTAIN 


21 


Stormy south wind came sweeping over the moun¬ 
tain, everything inside it, doors and windows, shook 
and rattled, and all the rotten old beams creaked and 
trembled. On such days as this, had the goatherd’s 
dwelling been standing above on the exposed moun¬ 
tain side, it could not have escaped being blown 
straight down into the valley without a moment’s 
warning. 

Here lived Peter, the eleven-year-old boy, who 
every morning went down to Dorfli to fetch his goats 
and drive them up on to the mountain, where they 
were free to browse till evening on the delicious 
mountain plants. 

Then Peter, with his light-footed animals, would go 
running and leaping down the mountain again till he 
reached Dorfli, and there he would give a shrill whis¬ 
tle through his fingers, whereupon all the owners of 
the goats would come out to fetch home the animals 
that belonged to them. It was generally the small 
boys and girls who ran in answer to Peter’s whistle, 
for they were none of them afraid of the gentle goats, 
and this was the only hour of the day through all the 
summer months that Peter had any opportunity of 
seeing his young friends, since the rest of his time was 
spent alone with the goats. He had a mother and a 
blind grandmother at home, it is true, but he was 
always obliged to start off very early in the morning, 
and only got home late in the evening from Dorfli, 
for he always stayed as long as he could talking and 
playing with the other children; and so he had just 
time enough at home, and that was all, to swallow 


22 


HEIDI 


down his bread and milk in the morning, and again 
in the evening to get through a similar meal, lie down 
in bed and go to sleep. His father, who had been 
known also as the goatherd, having earned his living 
as such when younger, had been accidentally killed 
while cutting wood some years before. His mother, 
whose real name was Brigitta, was always called the 
goatherd’s wife, for the sake of old association, while 
the blind grandmother was just “ grandmother ” to 
all the old and young in the neighborhood. 

Dete had been standing for a good ten minutes 
looking about her in every direction for some sign 
of the children and the goats. Not a glimpse of 
them, however, was to be seen, so she climbed to a 
higher spot, whence she could get a fuller view of 
the mountain as it sloped beneath her to the valley, 
while, with ever-increasing anxiety on her face and in 
her movements, she continued to scan the surround¬ 
ing slopes. Meanwhile the children were climbing 
up by a far and roundabout way, for Peter knew many 
spots where all kinds of good food, in the shape of 
shrubs and plants, grew for his goats, and he was in 
the habit of leading his flock aside from the beaten 
track. The child, exhausted with the heat and 
weight of her thick armor of clothes, panted and 
struggled after him at first with some difficulty. She 
said nothing, but her little eyes kept watching first 
Peter, as he sprang nimbly hither and thither on his 
bare feet, clad only in his short light breeches, and 
then the slim-legged goats that went leaping over 
rocks and shrubs and up the steep ascents with even 


UP THE MOUNTAIN 


23 


greater ease. All at once she sat herself down on the 
ground, and as fast as her little fingers could 
move, began pulling off her shoes and stockings. 
This done she rose, unwound the hot red shawl and 
threw it away, and then proceeded to undo her frock. 
It was off in a second, but there was still another to 
unfasten, for Dete had put the Sunday frock on over 
the everyday one, to save the trouble of carrying it. 
Quick as lightning the everyday frock followed the 
other, and now the child stood up, clad only in her 
light short-sleeved under garment, stretching out her 
little bare arms with glee. She put all her clothes 
together in a tidy little heap, and then went jumping 
and climbing up after Peter and the goats as nimbly 
as any one of the party. Peter had taken no heed 
of what the child was about when she stayed behind, 
but when she ran up to him in her new attire, his 
face broke into a grin, which grew broader still as he 
looked back and saw the small heap of clothes lying 
on the ground, until his mouth stretched almost from 
ear to ear; he said nothing, however. The child, able 
now to move at her ease, began to enter into conver¬ 
sation with Peter, who had many questions to answer, 
for his companion wanted to know how many goats 
he had, where he was going to with them, and what 
he had to do when he arrived there. At last, after 
some time, they and the goats approached the hut 
and came within view of Cousin Dete. Hardly had 
the latter caught sight of the little company climbing 
up towards her when she shrieked out: “ Heidi, what 
have you been doing! What a sight you have made 


24 


HEIDI 


of yourself! And where are your two frocks and the 
red wrapper? And the new shoes I bought, and the 
new stockings I knitted for you — everything gone! 
not a thing left! What can you have been thinking 
of, Heidi; where are all your clothes? ” 

The child quietly pointed to a spot below on the 
mountain side and answered, “ Down there.” Dete 
followed the direction of her finger; she could just 
distinguish something lying on the ground, with a 
spot of red on the top of it which she had no doubt 
was the woollen wrapper. 

“You good-for-nothing little thing!” exclaimed 
Dete angrily, “ what could have put it into your head 
to do like that? What made you undress yourself? 
What do you mean by it? ” 

“ I don’t want any clothes,” said the child, not 
showing any sign of repentance for her past deed. 

“You wretched, thoughtless child! have you no 
sense in you at all?” continued Dete, scolding and 
lamenting. “ Who is going all that way down to 
fetch them; it’s a good half-hour’s walk! Peter, you 
go off and fetch them for me as quickly as you can, 
and don’t stand there gaping at me, as if you were 
rooted to the ground! ” 

“ I am already past my time,” answered Peter 
slowly, without moving from the spot where he had 
been standing with his hands in his pockets, listening 
to Dete’s outburst of dismay and anger. 

“ Well, you won’t get far if you only keep on stand¬ 
ing there with your eyes staring out of your head,” 


UP THE MOUNTAIN 


25 


was Dete’s cross reply; “ but see, you shall have 
something nice,” and she held out a bright new piece 
of money to him that sparkled in the sun. Peter was 
immediately up and off down the steep mountain side, 
taking the shortest cut, and in an incredibly short 
space of time had reached the little heap of clothes, 
which he gathered up under his arm, and was back 
again so quickly that even Dete was obliged to give 
him a word of praise as she handed him the promised 
money. Peter promptly thrust it into his pocket and 
his face beamed with delight, for it was not often 
that he was the happy possessor of such riches. 

“You can carry the things up for me as far as 
Uncle’s, as you are going the same way,” went on 
Dete, who was preparing to continue her climb up 
the mountain side, which rose in a steep ascent im¬ 
mediately behind the goatherd’s hut. Peter wil¬ 
lingly undertook to do this, and followed after her on 
his bare feet, with his left arm round the bundle and 
the right swinging his goatherd’s stick, while Heidi 
and the goats went skipping and jumping joyfully 
beside him. After a climb of more than three-quar¬ 
ters of an hour they reached the top of the Aim moun¬ 
tain. Uncle’s hut stood on a projection of the rock, 
exposed indeed to the winds, but where every ray of 
sun could rest upon it, and a full view could be had 
of the valley beneath. Behind the hut stood three 
old fir trees, with long, thick, unlopped branches. 
Beyond these rose a further wall of mountain, the 
lower heights still overgrown with beautiful grass 


26 


HEIDI 


and plants, above which were stonier slopes, covered 
only with scrub, that led gradually up to the steep, 
bare rocky summits. 

Against the hut, on the side looking towards the 
valley. Uncle had put up a seat. Here he was sitting,, 
his pipe in his mouth and his hands on his knees, 
quietly looking out, when the children, the goats and 
Cousin Dete suddenly clambered into view. Heidi 
was at the top first. She went straight up to the 
old man, put out her hand, and said, “ Good-evening, 
Grandfather.” 

‘‘So, so, what is the meaning of this?” he asked 
gruffly, as he gave the child an abrupt shake of the 
hand, and gazed long and scrutinisingly at her from 
under his bushy eyebrows. Heidi stared steadily 
back at him in return with unflinching gaze, for the 
grandfather, with his long beard and thick grey eye¬ 
brows that grew together over his nose and looked 
just like a bush, was such a remarkable appearance, 
that Heidi was unable to take her eyes off him. 
Meanwhile Dete had come up, with Peter after her, 
and the latter now stood still a while to watch what 
was going on. 

“I wish you good-day. Uncle,” said Dete, as she 
walked towards him, “ and I have brought you Tobias 
and Adelaide’s child. You will hardly recognise her, 
as you have never seen her since she was a year old.” 

“ And what has the child to do with me up here ? ” 
asked the old man curtly. “ You there,” he then 
called out to Peter, “ be off with your goats, you are 
none too early as it is, and take mine with you.” 



Heidi was unable to take her eyes off him 












1 / 




* • 1 * 


\ 


f 



- t H 


• vf J J 



I*' 


UP THE MOUNTAIN 


27 

Peter obeyed on the instant and quickly disap¬ 
peared, for the old man had given him a look that 
made him feel that he did not want to stay any 
longer. 

“ The child is here to remain with you,” Dete made 
answer. “ I have, I think, done my duty by her for 
these four years, and now it is time for you to do 
yours.” 

“That’s it, is it? ” said the old man, as he looked 
at her with a flash in his eye. “ And when the child 
begins to fret and whine after you, as is the way with 
these unreasonable little beings, what am I to do 
with her then? ” 

“ That’s your affair,” retorted Dete. “ I know I 
had to put up with her without complaint when she 
was left on my hands as an infant, and with enough 
to do as it was for my mother and self. Now I have 
to go and look after my own earnings, and you are 
the next of kin to the child. If you cannot arrange 
to keep her, do with her as you like. You will be 
answerable for the result if harm happens to her, 
though you have hardly need, I should think, to add 
to the burden already on your conscience.” 

Now Dete was not quite easy in her own conscience 
about what she was doing, and consequently was feel¬ 
ing hot and irritable, and said more than she had in¬ 
tended. As she uttered her last words. Uncle rose 
from his seat. He looked at her in a way that made 
her draw back a step or two, then flinging out his 
arm, he said to her in a commanding voice: “Be 
off with you this instant, and get back as quickly as 


/ 


28 


HEIDI 


you can to the place whence you came, and do not let 
me see your face again in a hurry.” 

Dete did not wait to be told twice. “ Good-bye to 
you then, and to you too, Heidi,” she called, as she 
turned quickly away and started to descend the moun¬ 
tain at a running pace, which she did not slacken till 
she found herself safely again at Dorfli, for some in¬ 
ward agitation drove her forwards as if a steam-en¬ 
gine was at work inside her. Again questions came 
raining down upon her from all sides, for every one 
knew Dete, as well as all particulars of the birth and 
former history of the child, and all wondered what she 
had done with it. From every door and window 
came voices calling: “Where is the child?” 
“Where have you left the child, Dete?” and more 
and more reluctantly Dete made answer, “ Up there 
with Alm-Uncle!” “With Alm-Uncle, have I not 
told you so already? ” 

Then the women began to hurl reproaches at her; 
first one cried out, “ How could you do such a thing! ” 
then another, “To think of leaving a helpless little 
thing up there,” while again and again came the 
words, “ The poor mite! the poor mite! ” pursuing 
her as she went along. Unable at last to bear it any 
longer Dete ran forward as fast as she could until 
she was beyond reach of their voices. She was far 
from happy at the thought of what she had done, for 
the child had been left in her care by her dying 
mother. She quieted herself, however, with the idea 
that she would be better able to do something for the 
child if she was earning plenty of money, and it was 


UP THE MOUNTAIN 29 

a relief to her to think that she would soon be far 
away from all these people who were making such 
a fuss about the matter, and she rejoiced further still 
that she was at liberty now to take such a good place. 





A s soon as Date had disappeared the old man 
went back to his bench, and there he re¬ 
mained seated, staring on the ground with¬ 
out uttering a sound, while thick curls of smoke 
floated upward from his pipe. Heidi, meanwhile, 
was enjoying herself in her new surroundings; she 
looked about till she found a shed, built against the 
hut, where the goats were kept; she peeped in, and 
saw it was empty. She continued her search and 
presently came to the fir trees behind the hut. A 
strong breeze was blowing through them, and there 
was a rushing and roaring in their topmost branches. 
Heidi stood still and listened. The sound growing 
fainter, she went on again, to the farther comer of 
the hut, and so round to where her grandfather was 
sitting. Seeing that he was in exactly the same po¬ 
sition as when she left him, she went and placed her¬ 
self in front of the old man, and putting her hands 
behind her back, stood and gazed at him. Her grand¬ 
father looked up, and as she continued standing there 
without moving, “ What is it you want? ” he asked. 

“ I want to see what you have inside the house,” 
said Heidi. 

“ Come then! ” and the grandfather rose and went 
before her towards the hut. 

30 






WITH GRANDFATHER 31 

“ Bring your bundle of clothes in with you,” he bid 
her as she was following. 

“ I shan’t want them any more,” was her prompt 
answer. 

The old man turned and looked searchingly at the 
child, whose dark eyes were sparkling in delighted 
anticipation of what she was going to see inside. 
“ She is certainly not wanting in intelligence,” he 
murmured to himself. “ And why shall you not want 
them any more? ” he asked aloud. 

“ Because I want to go about like the goats with 
their thin light legs.” 

“ Well, you can do so if you like,” said her grand¬ 
father, “ but bring the things in, we must put them 
in the cupboard.” 

Heidi did as she was told. The old man now 
opened the door and Heidi stepped inside after him; 
she found herself in a good-sized room, which covered 
the whole ground floor of the hut. A table and a 
chair were the only furniture; in one corner stood 
the grandfather’s bed, in another was the hearth with 
a large kettle hanging above it; and on the further 
side was a large door in the wall — this was the cup¬ 
board. The grandfather opened it; inside were his 
clothes, some hanging up, others, a couple of shirts, 
and some socks and handkerchiefs, lying on a shelf; 
on a second shelf were some plates and cups and 
glasses, and on a higher one still, a round loaf, smoked 
meat, and cheese, for everything that Aim-Uncle 
needed for his food and clothing was kept in this cup¬ 
board. Heidi, as soon as it was opened, ran quickly 


32 


HEIDI 


forward and thrust in her bundle of clothes, as far 
back behind her grandfather’s things as possible, so 
that they might not easily be found again. She then 
looked carefully round the room, and asked, “ Where 
am I to sleep, grandfather? ” 

“ Wherever you like,” he answered. 

Heidi was delighted, and began at once to examine 
all the nooks and corners to find out where it would 
be pleasantest to sleep. In the corner near her 
grcindfather’s bed she saw a short ladder against the 
wall; up she climbed and found herself in the hay¬ 
loft. There lay a large heap of fresh sweet-smelling 
hay, while through a round window in the v/all she 
could see right down the valley. 

“ I shall sleep up here, grandfather,” she called 
down to him, “ It’s lovely, up here. Come up and 
see how lovely it is! ” 

“ Oh, I know all about it,” he called up in answer. 

“ I am getting the bed ready now,” she called down 
again, as she went busily to and fro at her work, “ but 
I shall want you to bring me up a sheet; you can’t 
have a bed without a sheet, you want it to lie 
upon.” 

“ All right,” said the grandfather, and presently he 
went to the cupboard, and after rummaging about 
inside for a few minutes he drew out a long, coarse 
piece of stuff, which was all he had to do duty for a 
sheet. He carried it up to the loft, where he found 
Heidi had already made quite a nice bed. She had 
put an extra heap of hay at one end for a pillow, and 


WITH GRANDFATHER 33 

had so arranged it that, when in bed, she would be 
able to see comfortably out through the round 
window. 

“ That is capital,said her grandfather; “ now we 
must put on the sheet, but wait a moment first,” and 
he went and fetched another large bundle of hay to 
make the bed thicker, so that the child should not 
feel the hard floor under her —“ there, now bring it 
here.” Heidi had got hold of the sheet, but it was 
almost too heavy for her to carry; this was a good 
thing, however, as the close thick stuff would prevent 
the sharp stalks of the hay running through and prick¬ 
ing her. The two together now spread the sheet over 
the bed, and where it was too long or too broad, 
Heidi quickly tucked it in under the hay. It looked 
now as tidy and comfortable a bed as you could wish 
for, and Heidi stood gazing thoughtfully at her 
handiwork. 

“We have forgotten something now, grandfather,” 
she said after a short silence. 

“ What’s that? ” he asked. 

“ A coverlid; when you get into bed, you have to 
creep in between the sheets and the coverlid.” 

“ Oh, that’s the way, is it? But suppose I have not 
got a coverlid ? ” said the old man. 

“ Well, never mind, grandfather,” said Heidi in a 
consoling tone of voice, “ I can take some more hay to 
put over me,” and she was turning quickly to fetch 
another armful from the heap, when her grandfather 
stopped her. “ Wait a moment,” he said, and he 


34 


HEIDI 


climbed down the ladder again and went towards his 
bed. He returned to the loft with a large, thick sack, 
made of flax, which he threw down, exclaiming, 
“ There, that is better than hay, is it not? ” 

Heidi began tugging away at the sack with all her 
little might, in her efforts to get it smooth and 
straight, but her small hands were not fitted for so 
heavy a job. Her grandfather came to her assist¬ 
ance, and when they had got it tidily spread over the 
bed, it all looked so nice and warm and comfortable 
that Heidi stood gazing at it in delight. “ That is a 
splendid coverlid,’’ she said, “ and the bed looks lovely 
altogether! I wish it was night, so that I might get 
inside it at once.” 

“ I think we might have something to eat first,” 
said the grandfather, “ what do you think? ” 

Heidi in the excitement of bed-making had for¬ 
gotten everything else; but now when she began to 
think about food she felt terribly hungry, for she had 
had nothing to eat since the piece of bread and little 
cup of thin coffee that had been her breakfast early 
that morning before starting on her long, hot journey. 
So she answered without hesitation, “ Yes, I think so 
too.” 

“ Let us go down then, as we both think alike,” 
said the old man, and he followed the child down the 
ladder. Then he went up to the hearth, pushed the 
big kettle aside, and drew forward the little one that 
was hanging on the chain, and seating himself on the 
round-topped, three-legged stool before the fire, blew 
it up into a clear bright flame. The kettle soon be- 


WITH GRANDFATHER 35 

gan to boil, and meanwhile the old man held a large 
piece of cheese on a long iron fork over the fire, turn¬ 
ing it round and round till it was toasted a nice golden 
yellow color on each side. Heidi watched all that 
was going on with eager curiosity. Suddenly some 
new idea seemed to come into her head, for she turned 
and ran to the cupboard, and then began going busily* 
backwards and forwards. Presently the grandfather 
got up and came to the table with a jug and the 
cheese, and there he saw it already tidily laid with 
the round loaf and two plates and two knives each in 
its right place; for Heidi had taken exact note that 
morning of all that there was in the cupboard, and 
she knew which things would be wanted for their 
meal. 

“ Ah, that’s right,” said the grandfather, ‘‘ I am 
glad to see that you have some ideas of your own,” 
and as he spoke he laid the toasted cheese on a layer 
of bread, “ but there is still something missing.” 

Heidi looked at the jug that was steaming away 
invitingly, and ran quickly back to the cupboard. At 
first she could only see a small bowl left on the shelf, 
but she was not long in perplexity, for a moment 
later she caught sight of two glasses further back, 
and without an instant’s loss of time she returned 
with these and the bowl and put them down on the 
table. 

“ Good, I see you know how to set about things; 
but what will you do for a seat? ” The grand¬ 
father himself was sitting on the only chair in 
the room. Heidi flew to the hearth, and dragging 


36 HEIDI 

the three-legged stool up to the table, sat herself 
down upon it. 

“ Well, you have managed to find a seat for your¬ 
self, I see, only rather a low one I am afraid,’^ said 
the grandfather, “ but you would not be tall enough 
to reach the table even if you sat in my chair; the 
first thing now, however, is to have something to eat, 
so come along.” 

With that he stood up, filled the bowl with milk, 
and placing it on the chair, pushed it in front of Heidi 
on her little three-legged stool, so that she now had 
a table to herself. Then he brought her a large slice 
of bread and a piece of the golden cheese, and told 
her to eat. After which he went and sat down on 
the corner of the table and began his own meal. 
Heidi lifted the bowl with both hands and drank with¬ 
out pause till it was empty, for the thirst of all her 
long hot journey had returned upon her. Then she 
drew a deep breath —«in the eagerness of her thirst 
she had not stopped to breathe — and put down the 
bowl. 

“ Was the milk nice? ” asked her grandfather. 

“ I never drank any so good before,” answered 
Heidi. 

‘‘Then you must have some more,” and the old 
man filled her bowl again to the brim and set it before 
the child, who was now hungrily beginning her bread, 
having first spread it with the cheese, which after 
being toasted was soft as butter; the two together 
tasted deliciously, and the child looked the picture 
of content as she sat eating, and at intervals taking 


WITH GRANDFATHER 37 

further draughts of milk. The meal being over, the 
grandfather went outside to put the goat-shed in 
order, and Heidi watched with interest while he first 
swept it out, and then put fresh straw for the goats 
to sleep upon. Then he went to the little well-shed, 
and there he cut some long round sticks, and a small 
round board; in this he bored some holes and stuck 
the sticks into them, and there, as if made by magic, 
was a three-legged stool just like her grandfather’s, 
only higher. Heidi stood and looked at it, speechless 
with astonishment. 

“What do you think that is?” asked her grand¬ 
father. 

“ It’s my stool, I know, because it is such a high 
one; and it was made all of a minute,” said the child, 
still lost in wonder and admiration. 

“ She understands what she sees, her eyes are in 
the right place,” remarked the grandfather to him¬ 
self, as he continued his way round the hut, knocking 
in a nail here and there, or making fast some part of 
the door, and so with hammer and nails and pieces of 
wood going from spot to spot, mending or clearing 
away wherever work of the kind was needed. Heidi 
followed him step by step, her eyes attentively taking 
in all that he did, and everything that she saw was a 
fresh source of pleasure to her. 

And so the time passed happily on till evening. 
Then the wind began to roar louder than ever 
through the old fir trees; Heidi listened with delight 
to the sound, and it filled her heart so full of gladness 
that she skipped and danced round the old trees, as 


HEIDI 


38 

if some unheard of joy had come to her. The grand¬ 
father stood and watched her from the shed. 

Suddenly a shrill whistle was heard. Heidi paused 
in her dancing, and the grandfather came out. Down 
from the heights above the goats came springing one 
after another, with Peter in their midst. Heidi 
sprang forward with a cry of joy and rushed among 
the flock, greeting first one and then another of her 
old friends of the morning. As they neared the hut 
the goats stood still, and then two of their number, 
two beautiful slender animals, one white and one 
brown, ran forward to where the grandfather was 
standing and began licking his hands, for he was 
holding a little salt which he always had ready for 
his goats on their return home. Peter disappeared 
with the remainder of his flock. Heidi tenderly 
stroked the two goats in turn, running first to one 
side of them and then the other, and jumping about 
in her glee at the pretty little animals. ‘‘ Are they 
ours, grandfather? Are they both ours? Are you 
going to put them in the shed? Will they always 
stay with us? ” 

Heidi's questions came tumbling out one after the 
other, so that her grandfather had only time to answer 
each of them with “ Yes, yes." When the goats had 
finished licking up the salt her grandfather told her to 
go and fetch her bowl and the bread. 

Heidi obeyed and was soon back again. The 
grandfather milked the white goat and filled her 
basin, and then breaking off a piece of bread, “ Now 
eat your supper," he said, “ and then go up to bed. 


WITH GRANDFATHER 


39 


Cousin Dete left another little bundle for you with a 
nightgown and other small things in it, which you 
will find at the bottom of the cupboard if you want 
them. I must go and shut up the goats, so be off 
and sleep well.” 

“ Good-night, grandfather! good-night. What are 
their names, grandfather, what are their names? ” she 
called out as she ran after his retreating figure and the 
goats. 

“ The white one is named Little Swan, and the 
brown one Little Bear,” he answered. 

“ Good-night, Little Swan, good-night. Little 
Bear! ” she called again at the top of her voice, for 
they were already inside the shed. Then she sat 
down on the seat and began to eat and drink, but the 
wind was so strong that it almost blew her away; 
so she made haste and finished her supper and then 
went indoors and climbed up to her bed, where she 
was soon lying as sweetly and soundly asleep as any 
young princess on her couch of silk. 

Not long after, and while it was still twilight, the 
grandfather also went to bed, for he was up every 
morning at sunrise, and the sun came climbing up 
over the mountains at a very early hour during these 
summer months. The wind grew so tempestuous 
during the night, and blew in such gusts against the 
walls, that the hut trembled and the old beams 
groaned and creaked. It came howling and wailing 
down the chimney like voices of those in pain, and 
it raged with such fury among the old fir trees that 
here and there a branch was snapped and fell. In 


40 


HEIDI 


the middle of the night the old man got up. ‘‘ The 
child will be frightened,” he murmured half aloud. 
He mounted the ladder and went and stood by the 
child’s bed. 

Outside the moon was struggling with the dark, 
fast-driving clouds, which at one moment left it clear 
and shining, and the next swept over it, and all again 
was dark. Just now the moonlight was falling 
through the round window straight on to Heidi’s bed. 
She lay under the heavy coverlid, her cheeks rosy with 
sleep, her head peacefully resting on her little round 
arm, and with a happy expression on her baby face 
as if dreaming of something pleasant. The old man 
stood looking down on the sleeping child until the 
moon again disappeared behind the clouds and he 
could see no more, then he went back to bed. 



H eidi was awakened early the next morning 
by a loud whistle; the sun was shining 
through the round window and falling in 
golden rays on her bed and on the large heap of hay, 
and as she opened her eyes everything in the loft 
seemed gleaming with gold. She looked around her 
in astonishment and could not imagine for a while 
where she was. But her grandfather’s deep voice 
was now heard outside, and then Heidi began to recall 
all that had happened: how she had come away from 
her former home and Vv^as now on the mountain with 
her grandfather instead of with old Ursula. The 
latter was nearly stone deaf and always felt cold, so 
that she sat all day either by the hearth in the kitchen 
or by the sitting-room stove, and Heidi had been 
obliged to stay close to her, for the old woman was 
so deaf that she could not tell where the child was if 
out of her sight. And Heidi, shut up within the four 
walls, had often longed to be out of doors. So she 
felt very happy this morning as she woke up in her 
new home and remembered all the many new things 
that she had seen the day before and which she would 
see again that day, and above all she thought with 
delight of the two dear goats. Heidi jumped quickly 

41 






42 


HEIDI 


out of bed and a very few minutes sufficed her to put 
on the clothes which she had taken off the night 
before, for there were not many of them. Then she 
climbed down the ladder and ran outside the hut. 
There stood Peter already with his flock of goats, 
and the grandfather was just bringing his two out of 
the shed to join the others. Heidi ran forward to 
wish good-morning to him and the goats. 

“ Do you want to go with them on to the moun¬ 
tain? ” asked her grandfather. Nothing could have 
pleased Heidi better, and she jumped for joy in 
answer. 

“ But you must first wash and make yourself tidy. 
The sun that shines so brightly overhead will else 
laugh at you for being dirty; see, I have put every¬ 
thing ready for you,” and her grandfather pointed as 
he spoke to a large tub full of water, which stood in 
the sun before the door. Heidi ran to it and began 
splashing and rubbing, till she quite glistened with 
cleanliness. The grandfather meanwhile went inside 
the hut, calling to Peter to follow him and bring in 
his wallet. Peter obeyed with astonishment, and 
laid down the little bag which held his meagre dinner. 

“ Open it,” said the old man, and inside it he put a 
large piece of bread and an equally large piece of 
cheese, which made Peter open his eyes, for each was 
twice the size of the two portions which he had for 
his own dinner. 

“ There, now there is only the little bowl to add,” 
continued the grandfather, “for the child cannot 
drink her milk as you do from the goat; she is not 


OUT WITH THE GOATS 43 

accustomed to that. You must milk two bowlfuls 
for her when she has her dinner, for she is going with 
you and will remain with you till you return this 
evening; but take care she does not fall over any of 
the rocks, do you hear? 

Heidi now came running in. “ Will the sun laugh 
at me now, grandfather? ” she asked anxiously. Her 
grandfather had left a coarse towel hanging up for 
her near the tub, and with this she had so thoroughly 
scrubbed her face, arms, and neck, for fear of the 
sun, that as she stood there she was as red all over 
as a lobster. He gave a little laugh. 

“ No, there is nothing for him to laugh at now,” he 
assured her. “ But I tell you what — when you come 
home this evening, you will have to get right into the 
tub, like a fish, for if you run about like the goats you 
will get your feet dirty. Now you can be off.” 

She started joyfully for the mountain. During the 
night the wind had blown away all the clouds; the 
dark blue sky was spreading overhead, and in its 
midst was the bright sun shining down on the green 
slopes of the mountain, where the flowers opened 
their little blue and yellow cups, and looked up to 
him smiling. Heidi went running hither and thither 
and shouting with delight, for here were whole 
patches of delicate red primroses, and there the blue 
gleam of the lovely gentian, while above them all 
laughed and nodded the tender-leaved golden cistus. 
Enchanted with all this waving field of brightly- 
colored flowers, Heidi forgot even Peter and the 
goats. She ran on in front and then off to the side, 


44 


HEIDI 


tempted first one way and then the other, as she 
caught sight of some bright spot of glowing red or 
yellow. And all the while she was plucking whole 
handfuls of the flowers which she put into her little 
apron, for she wanted to take them all home and 
stick them in the hay, so that she might make her 
bedroom look just like the meadov/s outside. Peter 
had therefore to be on the alert, and his round eyes, 
which did not move very quickly, had more work than 
they could well manage, for the goats were as lively 
as Heidi; they ran in all directions, and Peter had to 
follow whistling and calling and swinging his stick 
to get all the runaways together again. 

“ Where have you got to now, Heidi? ” he called 
out somewhat crossly. 

“ Here,” called back a voice from somewhere. 
Peter could see no one, for Heidi was seated on the 
ground at the foot of a small hill thickly overgrown 
with sweet smelling prunella; the whole air seemed 
filled with its fragrance, and Heidi thought she had 
never smelt anything so delicious. She sat sur¬ 
rounded by the flowers, drawing in deep breaths of 
the scented air. 

“Come along here!” called Peter again. “You 
are not to fall over the rocks, your grandfather gave 
orders that you were not to do so.” 

“ Where are the rocks? ” asked Heidi, answering 
him back. But she did not move from her seat, for 
the scent of the flowers seemed sweeter to her with 
every breath of wind that wafted it towards her. 

“ Up above, right up above. We have a long way 


OUT WITH THE GOATS 45 

to go yet, so come along! And on the topmost peak 
of all the old bird of prey sits and croaks.” 

That did it. Heidi immediately sprang to her feet 
and ran up to Peter with her apron full of flowers. 

“ You have got enough now,” said the boy as they 
began climbing up again together. “ You will stay 
here forever if you go on picking, and if you gather 
all the flowers now there will be none for to-mor¬ 
row.” 

This last argument seemed a convincing one to 
Heidi, and moreover her apron was already so full 
that there was hardly room for another flower, and it 
would never do to leave nothing to pick for another 
day. So she now kept with Peter, and the goats 
also became more orderly in their behavior, for they 
were beginning to smell the plants they loved that 
grew on the higher slopes and clambered up now 
without pause in their anxiety to reach them. The 
spot where Peter generally halted for his goats to 
pasture and where he took up his quarters for the day 
lay at the foot of the high rocks, which were covered 
for some distance up by bushes and fir trees, beyond 
which rose their bare and rugged summits. On one 
side of the mountain the rock was split into deep 
clefts, and the grandfather had reason to warn Peter 
of danger. Having climbed as far as the halting- 
place, Peter unslung his wallet and put it carefully 
in a little hollow of the ground, for he knew what 
the wind was like up there and did not want to see 
his precious belongings sent rolling down the 
mountain by a sudden gust. Then he threw himself 


HEIDI 


46 

at full length on the warm ground, for he was tired 
after all his exertions. 

Heidi meanwhile had unfastened her apron and 
rolling it carefully round the flowers laid it beside 
Peter’s wallet inside the hollow; she then sat down 
beside his outstretched figure and looked about her. 
The valley lay far below bathed in the morning sun. 
In front of her rose a broad snow-field, high against 
the dark-blue sky, while to the left was a huge pile 
of rocks on either side of which a bare lofty peak, that 
seemed to pierce the blue, looked frowningly down 
upon her. The child sat without moving, her eyes 
taking in the whole scene, and all around was a great 
stillness, only broken by soft, light puffs of wind that 
swayed the light bells of the blue flowers, and the 
shining gold heads of the cistus, and set them nodding 
merrily on their slender stems. Peter had fallen 
asleep after his fatigue and the goats were climbing 
about among the bushes overhead. Heidi had never 
felt so happy in her life before. She drank in the 
golden sunlight, the fresh air, the sweet smell of the 
flowers, and wished for nothing better than to remain 
there forever. So the time went on, while to Heidi, 
who had so often looked up from the valley at the 
mountains above, these seemed now to have faces, 
and to be looking down at her like old friends. Sud¬ 
denly she heard a loud harsh cry overhead and lift¬ 
ing her eyes she saw a bird, larger than any she had 
ever seen before, with great, spreading wings, wheel¬ 
ing round and round in wide circles, and uttering a 
piercing, croaking kind of sound above her. 


OUT WITH THE GOATS 47 

“ Peter, Peter, wake up! ” called out Heidi. “ See, 
the great bird is there — look, look! ” 

Peter got up on hearing her call, and together they 
sat and watched the bird, which rose higher and 
higher in the blue air till it disappeared behind the 
grey mountain-tops. 

“Where has it gone to?” asked Heidi, who had 
followed the bird’s movements with intense interest. 

“ Home to its nest,” said Peter. 

“ Is his home right up there? Oh, how nice to be 
up so high! why does he make that noise? ” 

“ Because he can’t help it,” explained Peter. 

“ Let us climb up there and see where his nest is,” 
proposed Heidi. 

“ Oh! oh! oh! ” exclaimed Peter, his disapproval 
of Heidi’s suggestion becoming more marked with 
each ejaculation, “ why even the goats cannot climb 
as high as that, besides didn’t Uncle say that you 
were not to fall over the rocks? ” 

Peter now began suddenly whistling and calling 
in such a loud manner that Heidi could not think 
what was happening; but the goats evidently under¬ 
stood his voice, for one after the other they came 
springing down the rocks until they were all as¬ 
sembled on the green plateau, some continuing to 
nibble at the juicy stems, others skipping about here 
and there or pushing at each other with their horns 
for pastime. 

Heidi jumped up and ran in and out among them, 
for it was new to her to see the goats playing to¬ 
gether like this and her delight was beyond words 


HEIDI 


48 

as she joined in their frolics; she made personal 
acquaintance with them all in turn, for they were 
like separate individuals to her, each single goat hav¬ 
ing a particular way of behavior of its own. Mean¬ 
while Peter had taken the wallet out of the hollow 
and placed the pieces of bread and cheese on the 
ground in the shape of a square, the larger two on 
Heidi’s side and the smaller on his own, for he knew 
exactly which were hers and which his. Then he 
took the little bowl and milked some delicious fresh 
milk into it from the white goat, and afterwards set 
the bowl in the middle of the square. Now he called 
Heidi to come, but she wanted more calling than the 
goats, for the child was so excited and amused at 
the capers and lively games of her new playfellows 
that she saw and heard nothing else. But Peter 
knew how to make himself heard, for he shouted till 
the very rocks above echoed his voice, and at last 
Heidi appeared, and when she saw the inviting re¬ 
past spread out upon the ground she went skipping 
round it for joy. 

“ Leave off jumping about, it is time for dinner,” 
said Peter; “ sit down now and begin.” 

Heidi sat down. “ Is the milk for me? ” she asked, 
giving another look of delight at the beautifully ar¬ 
ranged square with the bowl as a chief ornament in 
the centre. 

“ Yes,” replied Peter, “ and the two large pieces of 
bread and cheese are yours also, and when you have 
drunk up that milk, you are to have another bowlful 
from the white goat, and then it will be my turn.” 


49 


OUT WITH THE GOATS 

“ And which do you get your milk from? ” inquired 
Heidi. 

“ From my own goat, the piebald one. But go on 
now with your dinner,” said Peter, again reminding 
her it was time to eat. Heidi now took up the bowl 
and drank her milk, and as soon as she had put it 
down empty Peter rose and filled it again for her. 
Then she broke off a piece of her bread and held out 
the remainder, which was still larger than Peter’s 
own piece, together with the whole big slice of cheese 
to her companion, saying, “ You can have that, I have 
plenty.” 

Peter looked at Heidi, unable to speak for astonish¬ 
ment, for never in all his life could he have said and 
done like that with anything he had. He hesitated 
a moment, for he could not believe that Heidi was 
in earnest; but the latter kept on holding out the 
bread and cheese, and as Peter still did not take it, 
she laid it down on his knees. He saw then that she 
really meant it; he seized the food, nodded his thanks 
and acceptance of her present, and then made a more 
splendid meal than he had known ever since he was 
a goat-herd. Heidi the while still continued to watch 
the goats. “ Tell me all their names,” she said. 

Peter knew these by heart, for having very little 
else to carry in his head he had no difficulty in re¬ 
membering them. So he began, telling Heidi the 
name of each goat in turn as he pointed it out to her. 
Heidi listened with great attention, and it was not 
long before she could herself distinguish the goats 
from one another and could call each by name, for 


50 


HEIDI 


every goat had its own peculiarities which could not 
easily be mistaken; only one had to watch them 
closely, and this Heidi did. There was the great 
Turk with his big horns, who was always wanting 
to butt the others, so that most of them ran away 
when they saw him coming and would have nothing 
to do with their rough companion. Only Greenfinch, 
the slender nimble little goat, was brave enough to 
face him, and would make a rush at him, three or four 
times in succession, with such agility and dexterity, 
that the great Turk often stood still quite astounded 
not venturing to attack her again, for Greenfinch 
was fronting him, prepared for more warlike action, 
and her horns were sharp. Then there was little 
White Snowflake, who bleated in such a plaintive and 
beseeching manner that Heidi already had several 
times run to it and taken its head in her hands to 
comfort it. Just at this moment the pleading young 
cry was heard again, and Heidi jumped up running 
and, putting her arms round the little creature’s neck, 
asked in a sympathetic voice, “ What is it, little 
Snowflake? Why do you call like that as if in 
trouble? ” The goat pressed closer to Heidi in a con¬ 
fiding way and left off bleating. Peter called out 
from where he was sitting — for he had not yet got 
to the end of his bread and cheese, “ She cries like that 
because the old goat is not with her; she was sold at 
Mayenfeld the day before yesterday, and so will not 
come up the mountain any more.” 

“ Who is the old goat? ” called Heidi back. 

“ Why, her mother, of course,” was the answer. 


OUT WITH THE GOATS 51 

“ Where is the grandmother? ” called Heidi again. 

“ She has none.’’ 

“ And the grandfather? ” 

“ She has none.” 

“ Oh, you poor little Snowflake! ” exclaimed Heidi, 
clasping the animal gently to her, “ but do not cry 
like that any more; see now, I shall come up here 
with you every day, so that you will not be alone any 
more, and if you want anything you have only to 
come to me.” 

The young animal rubbed its head contentedly 
against Heidi’s shoulder, and no longer gave such 
plaintive bleats. Peter now having finished his meal 
joined Heidi and the goats, Heidi having by this time 
found out a great many things about these. She had 
decided that by far the handsomest and best-behaved 
of the goats were undoubtedly the two belonging to 
her grandfather; they carried themselves with a cer¬ 
tain air of distinction and generally went their own 
way, and as to the great Turk they treated him with 
indifference and contempt. 

The goats were now beginning to climb the rocks 
again, each seeking for the plants it liked in its own 
fashion, some jumping over everything they met till 
they found what they wanted, others going more 
carefully and cropping all the nice leaves by the way, 
the Turk still now and then giving the others a 
poke with his horns. Little Swan and Little Bear 
clambered lightly up and never failed to find the best 
bushes, and then they would stand gracefully poised 
on their pretty legs, delicately nibbling at the leaves. 


52 


HEIDI 


Heidi stood with her hands behind her back, care-* 
fully noting all they did. 

“ Peter,” she said to the boy who had again thrown 
himself down on the ground, “ the prettiest of all the 
goats are Little Swan and Little Bear.” 

“ Yes, I know they are,” was the answer. “ Alm- 
Uncle brushes them do\\Ti and washes them and gives 
them salt, and he has the nicest shed for them.” 

All of a sudden Peter leaped to his feet and ran 
hastily after the goats. Heidi followed him as fast 
as she could, for she was too eager to know what had 
happened to stay behind. Peter dashed through the 
middle of the flock towards that side of the mountain 
where the rocks fell perpendicularly to a great depth 
below, and where any thoughtless goat, if it went too 
lear, might fall over and break all its legs. He had 
caught sight of the inquisitive Greenfinch taking 
leaps in that direction, and he was only just in time, 
for the animal had already sprung to the edge of the 
abyss. All Peter could do was to throw himself 
down and seize one of her hind legs. Greenfinch, 
thus taken by surprise, began bleating furiously, 
angry at being held so fast and prevented from con¬ 
tinuing her voyage of discovery. She struggled to 
get loose, and endeavored so obstinately to leap for¬ 
ward that Peter shouted to Heidi to come and help 
him, for he could not get up and was afraid of pulling 
out the goat’s leg altogether. 

Heidi had already run up and she saw at once the 
danger both Peter and the animal were in. She 
quickly gathered a bunch of sweet-smelling leaves. 


OUT WITH THE GOATS 53 

and then, holding them under Greenfinch’s nose, said 
coaxingly, “ Come, come. Greenfinch, you must not 
be naughty! Look, you might fall down there and 
break your leg, and that would give you dreadful 
pain! ” 

The young animal turned quickly, and began con¬ 
tentedly eating the leaves out of Heidi’s hand. 
Meanwhile Peter got on to his feet again and took 
hold of Greenfinch by the band round her neck from 
which her bell was hung, and Heidi taking hold of 
her in the same way on the other side, they led the 
wanderer back to the rest of the flock that had re¬ 
mained peacefully feeding. Peter, now he had his 
goat in safety, lifted his stick in order to give her 
a good beating as punishment, and Greenfinch seeing 
what was coming shrank back in fear. But Heidi 
cried out, “No, no, Peter, you must not strike her; 
see how frightened she is I ” 

“ She deserves it,” growled Peter, and again lifted 
his stick. Then Heidi flung herself against him and 
cried indignantly, “ You have no right to touch her, 
it will hurt her, let her alone I ” 

Peter looked with surprise at the commanding little 
figure, whose dark eyes were flashing, and reluctantly 
he let his stick drop. “Well I will let her off if you 
will give me some more of your cheese to-morrow,” 
he said, for he was determined to have something to 
make up to him for his fright. 

“ You shall have it all, to-morrow and every day, 
I do not want it,” replied Heidi, giving ready consent 
to his demeind. “ And I will give you bread as well. 


54 


HEIDI 


a large piece like you had to-day; but then you must 
promise never to beat Greenfinch, or Snowflake, or 
any of the goats.” 

“ All right,” said Peter, “ I don’t care,” which 
meant that he would agree to the bargain. He now 
let go of Greenfinch, who joyfully sprang to join her 
Tompanions. 

And thus imperceptibly the day had crept on to its 
close, and now the sun was on the point of sinking 
out of sight behind the high mountains. Heidi was 
again sitting on the ground, silently gazing at the 
blue bell-shaped flowers, as they glistened in the 
evening sun, for a golden light lay on the grass and 
flowers, and the rocks above were beginning to shine 
and glow. All at once she sprang to her feet, 
“ Peter! Peter! everything is on fire! All the rocks 
are burning, and the great snow mountain and the 
sky! O look, look! the high rock up there is red 
with flame! O the beautiful, fiery snow! Stand up, 
Peter! See, the fire has reached the great bird’s 
nest! look at the rocks! look at the fir trees! Every¬ 
thing, everything is on fire! ” 

“ It is always like that,” said Peter composedly, 
continuing to peel his stick; “but it is not really 
fire.” 

“What is it then?” cried Heidi, as she ran back¬ 
wards and forwards to look first one side and then 
the other, for she felt she could not have enough of 
such a beautiful sight. “ What is it, Peter, what is 
it? ” she repeated. 


OUT WITH THE GOATS 55 

“ It gets like that of itself,” explained Peter 

“ Look, look! ” cried Heidi in fresh excitement, 
now they have turned all rose color! Look at that 
one covered with snow, and that with the high, 
pointed rocks! What do you call them? ” 

“ Mountains have not any names,” he answered. 

“ O how beautiful, look at the crimson snow! And 
up there on the rocks there are ever so many roses! 
Oh! now they are turning grey! Oh! oh! now all the 
color has died away! it’s all gone, Peter.” And 
Heidi sat down on the ground looking as full of dis¬ 
tress as if everything had really come to an end. 

‘‘ It will come again to-morrow,” said Peter, 
“ Get up, we must go home now.” He whistled to 
his goats and together they all started on their home¬ 
ward way. 

“ Is it like that every day, shall we see it every 
day when we bring the goats up here? ” asked Heidi, 
as she clambered down the mountain at Peter’s side; 
she waited eagerly for his answer, hoping that he 
would tell her it was so. 

“ It is like that most days,” he replied. 

“But will it be like that to-morrow for certain?” 
Heidi persisted. 

“ Yes, yes, to-morrow for certain,” Peter assured 
her in answer. 

Heidi now felt quite happy again, and her little 
brain was so full of new impressions and new 
thoughts that she did not speak any more until they 
had reached the hut. The grandfather was sitting 


HEIDI 


56 

under the fir trees, where he had also put up a seat, 
waiting as usual for his goats which returned down 
the mountain on this side. 

Heidi ran up to him followed by the white and 
brown goats, for they knew their own master and 
stall. Peter called out after her, “ Come with me 
again to-morrow! Good-night!” For he was 
anxious for more than one reason that Heidi 
should go with him the next day. 

Heidi ran back quickly and gave Peter her hand, 
promising to go with him, and then making her way 
through the goats she once more clasped Snowflake 
round the neck, saying in a gentle soothing voice, 
“ Sleep well. Snowflake, and remember that I shall 
be with you again to-morrow, so you must not bleat 
so sadly any more.” Snowflake gave her a friendly 
and grateful look, and then went leaping joyfully 
after the other goats. 

Heidi returned to the fir-trees. ‘‘ O grandfather,” 
she cried, even before she had come up to him, “ it 
was so beautiful. The fire, and the roses on the 
rocks, and the blue and yellow flowers, and look what 
I have brought you! ” And opening the apron that 
held her flowers she shook them all out at her grand¬ 
father’s feet. But the poor flowers, how changed 
they were! Heidi hardly knew them again. They 
looked like dry bits of hay, not a single little flower 
cup stood open. “ O grandfather, what is the matter 
with them? ” exclaimed Heidi in shocked surprise, 
“ they were not like that this morning, why do they 
look so now? ” 


OUT WITH THE GOATS 57 

“ They like to stand out there in the sun and not to 
be shut up in an apron,” said her grandfather. 

“ Then I will never gather any more. But, grand¬ 
father, why did the great bird go on croaking so?” 
she continued in an eager tone of inquiry. 

“ Go along now and get into your bath while I go 
and get some milk; when we are together at supper 
I will tell you all about it.” 

Heidi obeyed, and when later she was sitting on 
her high stool before her milk bowl with her grand¬ 
father beside her, she repeated her question, “ Why 
does the great bird go on croaking and screaming 
down at us, grandfather? ” 

“ He is mocking at the people who live down below 
in the villages, because they all go huddling and 
gossiping together, and encourage one another in 
evil talking and deeds. He calls out, ‘ If you would 
separate and each go your own v/ay and come up here 
and live on a height as I do, it would be better for 
you! ’ ” There was almost a wildness in the old 
man’s voice as he spoke, so that Heidi seemed to hear 
the croaking of the bird again even more distinctly. 

“ Why haven’t the mountains any names? ” Heidi 
went on. 

“ They have names,” answered her grandfather, 
“ and if you can describe one of them to me that I 
knov7 I will tell you what it is called.” 

Heidi then described to him the rocky mountain 
with the two high peaks so exactly that the grand¬ 
father was delighted. “ Just so, I know it,” and he 
told her its name. “ Did you see any other? ” 


HEIDI 


58 

Then Heidi told him of the mountain with the great 
snow-field, and how it had been on fire, and had 
turned rosy-red and then all of a sudden had grown 
quite pale again and all the color had disappeared. 

“ I know that one too,” he said, giving her its 
name. “ So you enjoyed being out with the goats? ” 

Then Heidi went on to give him an account of the 
whole day, and of how delightful it had all been, and 
particularly described the fire that had burst out 
everywhere in the evening. And then nothing would 
do but her grandfather must tell how it came, for 
Peter knew nothing about it. 

The grandfather explained to her that it was the 
sun that did it. ‘‘ When he says good-night to the 
mountains he throws his most beautiful colors over 
them, so that they may not forget him before he 
comes again the next day.” 

Heidi was delighted with this explanation, and 
could hardly bear to wait for another day to come 
that she might once more climb up with the goats 
and see how the sun bid good-night to the mountains. 
But she had to go to bed first, and all night she slept 
soundly on her bed of hay, dreaming of nothing but 
of shining mountains with red roses all over them, 
among which happy little Snowflake went leaping in 
and out. 



T he next morning the sun came out early 
as bright as ever, and then Peter ap¬ 
peared with the goats, and again the two 
children climbed up together to the high meadows, 
and so it went on day after day till Heidi, passing her 
life thus among the grass and flowers, was burnt 
brown with the sun, and grew so strong and healthy 
that nothing ever ailed her. She was happy too, and 
lived from day to day as free and lighthearted as the 
little birds that make their home among the green 
forest trees. Then the autumn came, and the wind 
blew louder and stronger, and the grandfather would 
say sometimes, “ To-day you must stay at home, 
Heidi; a sudden gust of the wind would blow a little 
thing like you over the rocks into the valley below 
in a moment.’’ 

Whenever Peter heard that he must go alone he 
looked very unhappy, for he saw nothing but mishaps 
of all kinds ahead, and did not know how he should 
bear the long dull day without Heidi. Then, too, 
there was the good meal he would miss, and besides 
that the goats on these days were so naughty and 
obstinate that he had twice the usual trouble with 
them, for they had grown so accustomed to Heidi’s 
presence that they would run in every direction and 

59 




6 o 


HEIDI 


refuse to go on unless she was with them. Heidi was 
never unhappy, for wherever she was she found some¬ 
thing to interest or amuse her. She liked best, it is 
true, to go out with Peter up to the flowers and the 
great bird, where there was so much to be seen, and 
so many experiences to go through among the goats 
with their different characters; but she also found her 
grandfather’s hammering and sawing and carpenter¬ 
ing very entertaining, and if it should chance to be 
the day when the large round goat’s-milk cheese was 
made she enjoyed beyond measure looking on at this 
wonderful performance, and watching her grand¬ 
father, as with sleeves rolled back, he stirred the 
great cauldron with his bare arms. The thing which 
attracted her most, however, was the waving and 
roaring of the three old fir trees on these windy days. 
She would run away repeatedly from whatever she 
might be doing, to listen to them, for nothing seemed 
so strange and wonderful to her as the deep mysteri¬ 
ous sound in the tops of the trees. She would stand 
underneath them and look up, unable to tear herself 
away, looking and listening while they bowed and 
swayed and roared as the mighty wind rushed 
through them. There was no longer now the warm 
bright sun that had shone all through the summer, 
so Heidi went to the cupboard and got out her shoes 
and stockings and dress, for it was growing colder 
every day, and when Heidi stood under the fir trees 
the wind blew through her as if she was a thin little 
leaf, but still she felt she could not stay indoors 
when she heard the branches waving outside. 


VISIT TO GRANDMOTHER 6i 


Then it grew very cold, and Peter would come up 
early in the morning blowing on his fingers to keep 
them warm. But he soon left off coming, for one 
night there was a heavy fall of snow and the next 
morning the whole mountain was covered with it, 
and not a single little green leaf was to be seen any¬ 
where upon it. There was no Peter that day, and 
Heidi stood at the little window looking out in 
wonderment, for the snow was beginning again, and 
the thick flakes kept falling till the snow was up to 
the window, and still they continued to fall, and the 
snow grew higher, so that at last the window could 
not be opened, and she and her grandfather were shut 
up fast within the hut. Heidi thought this was great 
fun and ran from one window to the other to see what 
would happen next, and whether the snow was going 
to cover up the whole hut, so that they would have 
to light a lamp although it was broad daylight. But 
things did not get as bad as that, and the next day, 
the snow having ceased, the grandfather went out 
and shovelled away the snow round the house, and 
threw it into such great heaps that they looked like 
mountains standing at intervals on either side the 
hut. And now the windows and door could be 
opened, and it was well it was so, for as Heidi and 
her grandfather were sitting one afternoon on their 
three-legged stools before the fire there came a great 
thump at the door followed by several others, and 
then the door opened. It was Peter, who had made 
all that noise knocking the snow off his shoes; he was 
still white all over with it, for he had had to fight his 


62 


HEIDI 


way through deep snowdrifts, and large lumps of 
snow that had frozen upon him still clung to his 
clothes. He had been determined, however, not to 
be beaten and to climb up to the hut, for it was a week 
now since he had seen Heidi. 

“ Good-evening,” he said as he came in; then he 
went and placed himself as near the fire as he could 
without saying another word, but his whole face was 
beaming with pleasure at finding himself there. 
Heidi looked on in astonishment, for Peter was 
beginning to thaw all over with the warmth, so that 
he had the appearance of a trickling waterfall. 

“ Well, General, and how goes it with you? ” said 
the grandfather, “ now that you have lost your army 
you will have to turn to your pen and pencil.” 

‘‘ Why must he turn to his pen and pencil? ” asked 
Heidi immediately, full of curiosity. 

“ During the winter he must go to school,” ex¬ 
plained her grandfather, “ and learn how to read and 
write; it’s a bit hard, although useful sometimes 
afterwards. Am I not right. General? ” 

“ Yes, indeed,” assented Peter. 

Heidi’s interest was now thoroughly awakened, 
and she had so many questions to put to Peter about 
all that was to be done and seen and heard at school, 
and the conversation took so long that Peter had 
time to get thoroughly dry. Peter had always great 
difficulty in putting his thoughts into words, and he 
found his share of the talk doubly difficult to-day, for 
by the time he had an answer ready to one of Heidi’s 
questions she had already put two or three more 


VISIT TO GRANDMOTHER 63 

to him, and generally such as required a whole long 
sentence in reply. 

The grandfather sat without speaking during this 
conversation, only now and then a twitch of amuse¬ 
ment at the corners of his mouth showed that he was 
listening. 

“ Well, now. General, you have been under fire 
for some time and must want some refreshment, 
come and join us,” he said at last, and as he spoke 
he rose and went to fetch the supper out of the cup¬ 
board, and Heidi pushed the stools to the table. 
There was also now a bench fastened against the 
wall, for as he was no longer alone the grandfather 
had put up seats of various kinds here and there, 
long enough to hold two persons, for Heidi had a 
way of always keeping close to her grandfather 
whether he was walking, sitting or standing. So 
there was comfortable place for them all three, and 
Peter opened his round eyes very wide when he saw 
what a large piece of meat Alm-Uncle gave him on 
his thick slice of bread. It was a long time since 
Peter had had anything so nice to eat. As soon as 
the pleasant meal was over Peter began to get ready 
for returning home, for it was already growing dark. 
He had said his “ good-night ” and his thanks, and 
was just going out, when he turned again and said, 
“ I shall come again next Sunday, this day week, and 
grandmother sent word that she would like you to 
come and see her one day.” 

It was quite a new idea to Heidi that she should 
go and pay anybody a visit, and she could not get it 


HEIDI 


64 

out of her head; so the first thing she said to her 
grandfather the next day was, “ I must go down to 
see the grandmother to-day; she will be expecting 
me. 

“ The snow is too deep,” answered the grandfather, 
trying to put her off. But Heidi had made up her 
mind to go, since the grandmother had sent her that 
message. She stuck to her intention and not a day 
passed but what in the course of it she said five or 
six times to her grandfather, “ I must certainly go to¬ 
day, the grandmother will be waiting for me.” 

On the fourth day, when with every step one took 
the ground crackled with frost and the whole vast 
field of snow was hard as ice, Heidi was sitting on 
her high stool at dinner with the bright sun shining 
in upon her through the window, and again repeated 
her little speech, “ I must certainly go down to see the 
grandmother to-day, or else I shall keep her waiting 
too long.” 

The grandfather rose from table, climbed up to the 
hay-loft and brought down the thick sack that was 
Heidi's coverlid, and said, “ Come along then! ” The 
child skipped out gleefully after him into the glitter¬ 
ing world of snow. 

The old fir trees were standing now quite silent, 
their branches covered with the white snow, and they 
looked so lovely as they glittered and sparkled in the 
sunlight that Heidi jumped for joy at the sight and 
kept on calling out, “ Come here, come here, grand¬ 
father ! The fir trees are all silver and gold! ” The 
grandfather had gone into the shed and he now came 


VISIT TO GRANDMOTHER 65 

out dragging a large hand-sleigh along with him; in¬ 
side it was a low seat, and the sleigh could be pushed 
forward and guided by the feet of the one who sat 
upon it with the help of a pole that was fastened to 
the side. After he had been taken round the fir trees 
by Heidi that he might see their beauty from all sides, 
he got into the sleigh and lifted the child on to his 
lap; then he wrapped her up in the sack, that she 
might keep nice and warm, and put his left arm closely 
round her, for it was necessary to hold her tight dur¬ 
ing the coming journey. He now grasped the pole 
with his right hand and gave the sleigh a push for¬ 
ward with his two feet. The sleigh shot down the 
mountain side with such rapidity that Heidi thought 
they were hying through the air like a bird, and 
shouted aloud with delight. Suddenly they came to 
a standstill, and there they were at Peter’s hut. Her 
grandfather lifted her out and unwrapped her. 
“ There you are, now go in, and when it begins to 
grow dark you must start on your way home again.” 
Then he left her and went up the mountain, pulling 
his sleigh after him. 

Heidi opened the door of the hut and stepped into 
a tiny room that looked very dark, with a fireplace 
and a few dishes on a wooden shelf; this was the little 
kitchen. She opened another door, and now found 
herself in another small room, for the place was not 
a herdsman’s hut like her grandfather’s, with one 
large room on the ground floor and a hay-loft above, 
but a very old cottage, where everything was narrow 
and poor and shabby. A table was close to the door, 


66 


HEIDI 


and as Heidi stepped in she saw a woman sitting at 
it, putting a patch on a waistcoat which Heidi recog¬ 
nised at once as Peter’s. In the corner sat an old 
woman, bent with age, spinning. Heidi was quite 
sure this was the grandmother, so she went up to the 
spinning-wheel and said, “ Good-day, grandmother, 
I have come at last; did you think I was a long time 
coming? ” 

The woman raised her head and felt for the hand 
that the child held out to her, and when she found it, 
she passed her own over it thoughtfully for a few 
seconds, and then said, “ Are you the child who lives 
up with Aim-Uncle, are you Heidi? ” 

“ Yes, yes,” answered Heidi, “ I have just come 
down in the sleigh with grandfather.” 

“ Is it possible! Why your hands are quite warm! 
Brigitta, did Aim-Uncle come himself with the 
child? ” 

Peter’s mother had left her work and risen from 
the table and now stood looking at Heidi with 
curiosity, scanning her from head to foot. “ I do 
not know, mother, whether Uncle came himself; it 
is hardly likely, the child probably makes a mistake.” 

But Heidi looked steadily at the woman, not at all 
as if in any uncertainty, and said, “ I know quite well 
who wrapped me in my bedcover and brought me 
down in the sleigh: it was grandfather.” 

“There was some truth then perhaps in what 
Peter used to tell us of Alm-Uncle during the 
summer, when we thought he must be wrong,” said 
grandmother; “but who would ever have believed 


VISIT TO GRANDMOTHER 67 

that such a thing was possible? I did not think the 
child would live three weeks up there. What is she 
like, Brigitta?” 

The latter had so thoroughly examined Heidi on all 
sides that she was well able to describe her to her 
mother. 

“ She has Adelaide’s slenderness of figure, but her 
eyes are dark and her hair curly like her father’s and 
the old man’s up there: she takes after both of them, 
I think.” 

Heidi meanwhile had not been idle; she had made 
the round of the room and looked carefully at every¬ 
thing there was to be seen. All of a sudden she ex¬ 
claimed, ‘‘ Grandmother, one of your shutters is 
flapping backwards and forwards; grandfather would 
put a nail in and make it all right in a minute, or else 
it will break one of the panes some day; look, look, 
how it keeps on banging! ” 

“ Ah, dear child,” said the old woman, “ I am not 
able to see it, but I can hear that and many other 
things besides the shutter. Everything about the 
place rattles and creaks when the wind is blowing, 
and it gets inside through all the cracks and holes. 
The house is going to pieces, and in the night, when 
the two others are asleep, I often lie awake in fear 
and trembling, thinking that the whole place will give 
way and fall and kill us. And there is not a creature 
to mend anything for us, for Peter does not under¬ 
stand such work.” 

“ But why cannot you see, grandmother, that the 
shutter is loose? Look, there it goes again, see, that 


68 HEIDI 

one there! ” And Heidi pointed to the particular 
shutter. 

“ Alas, child, it is not only that I cannot see — I 
can see nothing, nothing,” said the grandmother in 
a voice o£ lamentation. 

‘‘ But if I were to go outside and put back the 
shutter so that you had more light, then you could 
see, grandmother? ” 

‘‘ No, no, not even then, no one can make it light 
for me again.” 

“ But if you were to go outside among all the white 
snow, then surely you would find it light; just come 
with me, grandmother, and I will show you.” Heidi 
took hold of the old woman’s hand to lead her along, 
for she was beginning to feel quite distressed at the 
thought of her being without light. 

“Let me be, dear child; it is always dark for me 
now; whether in snow or sun, no light can penetrate 
my eyes.” 

“ But surely it does in summer, grandmother,” said 
Heidi, more and more anxious to find some way out 
of the trouble, “ when the hot sun is shining down 
again, and he says good-night to the mountains, and 
they all turn on fire, and the yellow flowers shine like 
gold, then, you will see, it will be bright and beautiful 
for you again.” 

“ Ah, child, I shall see the mountains on fire or the 
yellow flowers no more; it will never be light for me 
again on earth, never.” 

At these words Heidi broke into loud crying. 
In her distress she kept on sobbing out, “ Who can 



But if you were to go outside among all the white snow, then surely you 

would find it light " 










VISIT TO GRANDMOTHER 69 

make it light for you again? Can no one do it? 
Isn’t there any one who can do it? ” 

The grandmother now tried to comfort the child, 
but it was not easy to quiet her. Heidi did not often 
weep, but when she did she could not get over her 
trouble for a long while. The grandmother had 
tried all means in her power to allay the child’s grief, 
for it went to her heart to hear her sobbing so bit¬ 
terly. At last she said, “ Come here, dear Heidi, 
come and let me tell you something. You cannot 
think how glad one is to hear a kind word when one 
can no longer see, and it is such a pleasure to me 
to listen to you while you talk. So come and sit be¬ 
side me and tell me something; tell me what you do 
up there, and how grandfather occupies himself. I 
knew him very well in old days; but for many years 
now I have heard nothing of him, except through 
Peter, who never says much.” 

This was a new and happy idea to Heidi; she 
quickly dried her tears and said in a comforting voice, 
“ Wait, grandmother, till I have told grandfather 
everything, he will make it light for you again, I am 
sure, and will do something so that the house will 
not fall; he will put everything right for you.” 

The grandmother was silent, and Heidi now began 
to give her a lively description of her life with the 
grandfather, and of the days she spent on the 
mountain with the goats, and then went on to tell 
her of what she did now during the winter, and how 
her grandfather was able to make all sorts of things, 
seats and stools, and mangers where the hay was 


70 


HEIDI 


put for Little Swan and Little Bear, besides a new 
large water-tub for her to bathe in when the summer 
came, and a new milk-bowl and spoon, and Heidi 
grew more and more animated as she enumerated 
all the beautiful things which were made so magically 
out of pieces of wood; she then told the grandmother 
how she stood by him and watched all he did, and 
how she hoped some day to be able to make the same 
herself. 

The grandmother listened with the greatest atten¬ 
tion, only from time to time addressing her daughter, 
“ Do you hear that, Brigitta? Do you hear what she 
is saying about Uncle? ” 

The conversation was all at once interrupted by 
a heavy thump on the door, and in marched Peter, 
who stood stock-still, opening his eyes with astonish¬ 
ment, when he caught sight of Heidi; then his face 
beamed with smiles as she called out, “ Good-evening, 
Peter.” 

“ What, is the boy back from school already? ” 
exclaimed the grandmother in surprise. “ I have not 
known an afternoon pass so quickly as this one for 
years. How is the reading getting on, Peter? ” 

“ Just the same,” was Peter’s answer. 

The old woman gave a little sigh. “ Ah, well,” she 
said, “ I hoped you would have something different 
to tell me by this time, as you ai e going to be twelve 
years old this February.” 

“ What was it that you hoped he would have to tell 
you? ” asked Heidi, interested in all the grandmother 
said. 


VISIT TO GRANDMOTHER 71 

“ I mean that he ought to have learnt to read a bit 
by now,” continued the grandmother. “ Up there on 
the shelf is an old prayer-book, with beautiful songs 
in it which I have not heard for a long time and can¬ 
not now remember to repeat to myself, and I hoped 
that Peter would soon learn enough to be able to read 
one of them to me sometimes; but he finds it too diffi¬ 
cult.” 

“ I must get a light, it is getting too dark to see,” 
said Peter’s mother, who was still busy mending his 
waistcoat. “ I feel too as if the afternoon had gone 
I hardly know how.” 

Heidi now jumped up from her low chair, and hold¬ 
ing out her hand hastily to the grandmother said, 
“ Good-night, grandmother, if it is getting dark I 
must go home at once,” and bidding good-bye to 
Peter and his mother she went towards the door. 
But the grandmother called out in an anxious voice, 
“ Wait, wait, Heidi; you must not go alone like that, 
Peter must go with you; and take care of the child, 
Peter, that she does not fall, and don’t let her stand 
still for fear she should get frozen, do you hear? 
Has she got anything warm to put around her 
throat?” 

“ I have not anything to put on,” called back Heidi, 
“ but I am sure I shall not be cold,” and with that she 
ran outside and went off at such a pace that Peter 
had difficulty in overtaking her. The grandmother, 
still in distress, called out to her daughter, “ Run after 
her, Brigitta; the child will be frozen to death on 
such a night as this; take my shawl, run quickly! ” 


HEIDI 


72 

Brigitta ran out. But the children had taken but 
a few steps before they saw the grandfather coming 
down to meet them, and in another minute his long 
strides had brought him to their side. 

“That's right, Heidi; you have kept your word," 
said the grandfather, and then wrapping the sack 
firmly round her he lifted her in his arms and strode 
off with her up the mountain. Brigitta was just in 
time to see him do all this, and on her return to the 
hut with Peter expressed her astonishment to the 
grandmother. The latter was equally surprised, and 
kept on saying, “ God be thanked that he is good to 
the child, God be thanked! Will he let her come to 
me again, I wonder! the child has done me so much 
good. What a loving little lieart it is, and how 
merrily she tells her tale!" And she continued to 
dwell with delight on the thought of the child until 
she went to bed, still saying now and again, “ If only 
she will come again! Now I have really something 
left in the world to take pleasure in." And Brigitta 
agreed with all her mother said, and Peter nodded 
his head in approval each time his grandmother 
spoke, saying, with a broad smile of satisfaction, “ I 
told you so! " 

Meanwhile Heidi was chattering away to her 
grandfather from inside her sack; her voice, however, 
could not reach him through the many thick folds of 
her wrap, and as therefore it was impossible to under¬ 
stand a word she was saying, he called to her, “ Wait 
till we get home, and then you can tell me all about 
it." They had no sooner got inside the hut than 


VISIT TO GRANDMOTHER 73 

Heidi, having been released from her covering, at 
once began what she had to say, “ Grandfather, to¬ 
morrow we must take the hammer and the long nails 
and fasten grandmother’s shutter, and drive in a lot 
more nails in other places, for her house shakes and 
rattles all over.” 

“We must, must we? who told you that? ” asked 
her grandfather. 

“ Nobody told me, but I know it for all that,” re¬ 
plied Heidi, “ for everything is giving way, and when 
the grandmother cannot sleep, she lies trembling for 
fear at the noise, for she thinks that every minute 
the house will fall down on their heads; and every¬ 
thing now is dark for grandmother, and she does not 
think any one can make it light for her again, but 
you will be able to, I am sure, grandfather. Think 
how dreadful it is for her to be always in the dark, 
and then to be frightened at what may happen, and 
nobody can help her but you. To-morrow we must 
go and help her; we will, won’t we, grandfather?” 

The child was clinging to the old man and looking 
up at him in trustful confidence. The grandfather 
looked down at Heidi for a while without speaking, 
and then said, “ Yes, Heidi, we will do something to 
stop the rattling, at least we can do that; we will go 
down about it to-morrow! ” 

The child went skipping round the room for joy, 
crying out, “We shall go to-morrow! we shall go 
to-morrow! ” 

The grandfather kept his promise. On the follow¬ 
ing afternoon he brought the sleigh out again, and as 


74 


HEIDI 


on the previous day, he set Heidi down at the door of 
the grandmother’s hut and said, “ Go in now, and 
when it grows dark, come out again.” Then he put 
the sack in the sleigh and went round the house. 

Heidi had hardly opened the door and sprung into 
the room when the grandmother called out from her 
comer, “ It’s the child again! here she comes! ” and 
in her delight she let the thread drop from her fingers, 
and the wheel stood still as she stretched out both 
her hands in welcome. Heidi ran to her, and then 
quickly drew the little stool close up to the old 
woman, and seating herself upon it, began to tell 
and ask her all kinds of things. All at once came the 
sound of heavy blows against the wall of the hut and 
the grandmother gave such a start of alarm that she 
nearly upset the spinning-wheel, and cried in a 
trembling voice, “ Ah, my God, now it is coming, the 
house is going to fall upon us! ” But Heidi caught 
her by the arm, and said soothingly, “ No, no, grand¬ 
mother, do not be frightened, it is only grandfather 
with his hammer; he is mending up everything, so 
that you shan’t have such fear and trouble.” 

“ Is it possible! is it really possible! so the dear 
God has not forgotten us! ” exclaimed the grand¬ 
mother. “ Do you hear, Brigitta, what that noise is? 
Did you hear what the child says? Now, as I listen, 
I can tell it is a hammer; go outside, Brigitta, and if 
it is Alm-Uncle, tell him he must come inside a 
moment that I may thank him.” 

Brigitta went outside and found Alm-Uncle in the 
act of fastening some heavy pieces of new wood along 


VISIT TO GRANDMOTHER 75 

the wall. She stepped up to him and said, “ Good¬ 
evening, Uncle, mother and I have to thank you for 
doing us such a kind service, and she would like to 
tell you herself how grateful she is; I do not know 
who else would have done it for us; we shall not for¬ 
get your kindness, for I am sure—” 

“ That will do,’^ said the old man, interrupting her. 
“ I know what you think of Aim-Uncle without your 
telling me. Go indoors again, I can find out for my¬ 
self where the mending is wanted.” 

Brigitta obeyed on the spot, for Uncle had a way 
with him that made few people care to oppose his 
will. He went on knocking with his hammer all 
round the house, and then mounted the narrow steps 
to the roof, and hammered away there, until he had 
used up all the nails he had brought with him. 
Meanwhile it had been growing dark, and he had 
hardly come down from the roof and dragged the 
sleigh out from behind the goat-shed when Heidi ap¬ 
peared outside. The grandfather wrapped her up 
and took her in his arms as he had done the day be¬ 
fore, for although he had to drag the sleigh up the 
mountain after him, he feared that if the child sat 
in it alone her wrappings would fall off and that 
she would be nearly if not quite frozen, so he carried 
her warm and safe in his arms. 

So the winter went by. After many years of joy¬ 
less life, the blind grandmother had at last found 
something to make her happy; her days were no 
longer passed in weariness and darkness, one like the 
other without pleasure or change, for now she had 


HEIDI 


76 

always something to which she could look forward. 
She listened for the little tripping footstep as soon 
as day had come, and when she heard the door open 
and knew the child was really there, she would call 
out, “ God be thanked, she has come again! ” And 
Heidi would sit by her and talk and tell her every¬ 
thing she knew in so lively a manner that the grand¬ 
mother never noticed how the time went by, and 
never now as formerly asked Brigitta, “ Isn’t the day 
done yet? ” but as the child shut the door behind her 
on leaving, would exclaim, “ How short the after¬ 
noon has seemed; don’t you think so, Brigitta?” 
And this one would answer, “ I do indeed; it seems as 
if I had only just cleared away the mid-day meal.” 
And the grandmother would continue, Pray God 
the child is not taken from me, and that Alm-Uncle 
continues to let her come! Does she look well and 
strong, Brigitta? ” And the latter would answer, 
“ She looks as bright and rosy as an apple.” 

And Heidi had also grown very fond of the old 
grandmother, and when at last she knew for certain 
that no one could make it light for her again, she 
was overcome with sorrow; but the grandmother told 
her again that she felt the darkness much less when 
Heidi was with her, and so every fine winter’s day 
the child came travelling down in her sleigh. The 
grandfather always took her, never raising any objec¬ 
tion, indeed he always carried the hammer and sundry 
other things down in the sleigh with him, and many 
an afternoon was spent by him in making the goat¬ 
herd’s cottage sound and tight. It no longer groaned 


VISIT TO GRANDMOTHER 77 

and rattled the whole night through, and the grand¬ 
mother, who for many winters had not been able to 
sleep in peace as she did now, said she should never 
forget what the Uncle had done for her. 



O UICKLY the winter passed, and still more 
quickly the bright glad summer, and now 
another winter was drawing to its close. 
Heidi was still as light-hearted and happy as the 
birds, and looked forward with more delight each day 
to the coming spring, when the warm south wind 
would roar through the fir trees and blow away the 
snow, and the warm sun would entice the blue and 
yellow flowers to show their heads, and the long days 
out on the mountain would come again, which seemed 
to Heidi the greatest joy that the earth could give. 
Heidi was now in her eighth year; she had learnt 
all kinds of useful things from her grandfather; she 
knew how to look after the goats as well as any one, 
and Little Swan and Bear would follow her like two 
faithful dogs, and give a loud bleat of pleasure when 
they heard her voice. Twice during the course of 
this last winter Peter had brought up a message from 
the schoolmaster at Dorfli, who sent word to Alm- 
Uncle that he ought to send Heidi to school, as she 
was over the usual age, and ought indeed to have 
gone the winter before. Uncle had sent word back 
each time that the schoolmaster would find him at 
home if he had anything he wished to say to him, but 

78 



TWO VISITS 


79 

that he did not intend to send Heidi to school, and 
Peter had faithfully delivered his message. 

When the March sun had melted the snow on the 
mountain side and the snowdrops were peeping out 
all over the valley, and the fir trees had shaken off 
their burden of snow and were again merrily waving 
their branches in the air, Heidi ran backwards and 
forwards with delight first to the goat-shed then to 
the fir-trees, and then to the hut-door, in order to let 
her grandfather know how much larger a piece of 
green there was under the trees, and then would run 
off to look again, for she could hardly wait till every¬ 
thing was green and the full beautiful summer had 
clothed the mountain with grass and flowers. As 
Heidi was thus running about one sunny March 
morning, and had just jumped over the water-trough 
for the tenth time at least, she nearly fell backwards 
into it with fright, for there in front of her, looking 
gravely at her, stood an old gentleman dressed in 
black. When he saw how startled she was, he said 
in a kind voice, “ Don’t be afraid of me, for I am very 
fond of children. Shake hands! You must be the 
Heidi I have heard of; where is your grandfather? ” 
“ He is sitting by the table, making round wooden 
spoons,” Heidi informed him, as she opened the door. 

He was the old village pastor from Dorfli who had 
been a neighbor of Uncle’s when he lived down there, 
and had known him well. He stepped inside the hut, 
and going up to the old man, who was bending over 
his work, said, “ Good-morning, neighbor.” 

The grandfather looked up in surprise, and then 


8 o 


HEIDI 


rising said, “ Good-morning ” in return. He pushed 
his chair towards the visitor as he continued, “ If you 
do not mind a wooden seat there is one for you.” 

The pastor sat down. ‘‘ It is a long time since I 
have seen you, neighbor,” he said. 

“ Or I you,” was the answer. 

“ I have come to-day to talk over something with 
you,” continued the pastor. “ I think you know al¬ 
ready what it is that has brought me here,” and as 
he spoke he looked towards the child who was stand¬ 
ing at the door, gazing with interest and surprise at 
the stranger. 

“ Heidi, go off to the goats,” said her grandfather. 
“ You take them a little salt and stay with them till 
I come.” 

Heidi vanished on the spot. 

“ The child ought to have been at school a year ago, 
and most certainly this last winter,” said the pastor. 
** The schoolmaster sent you word about it, but you 
gave him no answer. What are you thinking of 
doing with the child, neighbor? ” 

“ I am thinking of not sending her to school,” was 
the answer. 

The visitor, surprised, looked across at the old man, 
who was sitting on his bench with his arms crossed 
and a determined expression about his whole person. 

“ How are you going to let her grow up then? ” he 
asked. 

“ I am going to let her grow up and be happy 
among the goats and birds; with them she is safe, 
and will learn nothing evil.” 


TWO VISITS 


8 i 


“But the child is not a goat or a bird, she is a 
human being. If she learns no evil from these com¬ 
rades of hers, she will at the same time learn nothing; 
but she ought not to grow up in ignorance, and it is 
time she began her lessons. I have come now that 
you may have leisure to think over it, and to arrange 
about it during the summer. This is the last winter 
that she must be allowed to run wild; next winter 
she must come regularly to school every day.” 

“ She will do no such thing,” said the old man with 
calm determination. 

“ Do you mean that by no persuasion can you be 
brought to see reason, and that you intend to stick 
obstinately to your decision? ” said the pastor, grow¬ 
ing somewhat angry. “ You have been about the 
v/orld, and must have seen and learnt much, and I 
should have given you credit for more sense, 
neighbor.” 

“ Indeed,” replied the old man, and there was a 
tone in his voice that betrayed a growing irritation on 
his part too, “ and does the worthy pastor really 
mean that he would wish me next winter to send a 
young child like that some miles down the mountain 
on ice-cold mornings through storm and snow, and 
let her return at night when the wind is raging, when 
even one like ourselves would run a risk of being 
blown dov/n by it and buried in the snow? And 
perhaps he may not have forgotten the child’s mother, 
Adelaide? She was a sleep-walker, and had fits. 
Might not the child be attacked in the same way if 
obliged to over-exert herself? And some one thinks 


82 


HEIDI 


they can come and force me to send her? I will go 
before all the courts of justice in the country, and 
then we shall see who will force me to do it! ” 

“ You are quite right, neighbor,” said the pastor 
in a friendly tone of voice. “ I see it would have been 
impossible to send the child to school from here. But 
I perceive that the child is dear to you; for her sake 
do what you ought to have done long ago: come 
down into Dorfli and live again among your fellow- 
men. What sort of a life is this you lead, alone, and 
with bitter thoughts towards God and man! If any¬ 
thing were to happen to you up here who would there 
be to help you? I cannot think but what you must 
be half-frozen to death in this hut in the winter, and 
I do not know how the child lives through it! ” 

“ The child has young blood in her veins and a 
good roof over her head, and let me further tell the 
pastor, that I know where wood is to be found, and 
when is the proper time to fetch it; the pastor can 
go and look inside my wood-shed; the fire is never 
out in my hut the whole winter through. As to 
going to live below that is far from my thoughts; the 
people despise me and I them; it is therefore best for 
all of us that we live apart.” 

“ No, no, it is not best for you; I know what it is 
you lack,” said the pastor in an earnest voice. “ As 
to the people down there looking on you with dislike, 
it is not as bad as you think. Believe me, neigh¬ 
bor; seek to make your peace with God, pray for 
forgiveness where you need it, and then come and 


TWOVISITS 83 

see how differently people will look upon you, and 
how happy you may yet be.” 

The pastor had risen and stood holding out his hand 
to the old man as he added with renewed earnestness, 
“ I will wager, neighbor, that next winter you will 
be down among us again, and we shall be good neigh¬ 
bors as of old. I should be very grieved if any 
pressure had to be put upon you; give me your hand 
and promise me that you will come and live with us 
again and become reconciled to God and man.” 

Alm-Uncle gave the pastor his hand and answered 
him calmly and firmly, “ You mean well by me I 
know, but as to that which you wish me to do, I say 
now what I shall continue to say, that I will not send 
the child to school nor come and live among you.” 

“ Then God help you! ” said the pastor, and he 
turned sadly away and left the hut and went down 
the mountain. 

Alm-Uncle was out of humor. When Heidi said 
as usual that afternoon, ‘‘ Can we go down to grand¬ 
mother now? ” he answered, ‘‘ Not to-day.” He did 
not speak again the whole of that day, and the fol¬ 
lowing morning when Heidi again asked the same 
question, he replied, “We will see.” But before the 
dinner bowls had been cleared away another visitor 
arrived, and this time it was Cousin Dete. She had 
a fine feathered hat on her head, and a long trailing 
skirt to her dress which swept the floor, and on the 
floor of a goatherd’s hut there are all sorts of things 
that do not belong to a dress. 


HEIDI 


84 

The grandfather looked her up and down without 
uttering a word. But Dete was prepared with an 
exceedingly amiable speech and began at once to 
praise the looks of the child. She was looking so 
well she should hardly have known her again, and it 
was evident that she had been happy and well-cared 
for with her grandfather; but she had never lost 
sight of the idea of taking the child back again, for 
she well understood that the little one must be much 
in his way, but she had not been able to do it at first. 
Day and night, however, she had thought over the 
means of placing the child somewhere, and that was 
why she had come to-day, for she had just heard of 
something that would be a lucky chance for Heidi 
beyond her most ambitious hopes. Some immensely 
wealthy relatives of the people she was serving, who 
had the most splendid house almost in Frankfurt, had 
an only daughter, young and an invalid, who was 
always obliged to go about in a wheeled chair; she 
was therefore very much alone and had no one to 
share her lessons, and so the little girl felt dull. Her 
father had spoken to Dete’s mistress about finding a 
companion for her, and her mistress was anxious to 
help in the matter, as she felt so sympathetic about it. 
The lady-housekeeper had described the sort of child 
they wanted, simple-minded and unspoilt, and not 
like most of the children that one saw now-a-days. 
Dete had thought at once of Heidi and had gone off 
without delay to see the lady-housekeeper, and after 
Dete had given her a description of Heidi, she had 
immediately agreed to take her. And no one could 


TWO VISITS 


85 

tell what good fortune there might not be in store 
for Heidi, for if she was once with these people and 
they took a fancy to her, and anything happened to 
their own daughter — one could never tell, the child 
was so weakly — and they did not feel they could 
live without a child, why then the most unheard of 
luck — 

“ Have you nearly finished what you had to say? ” 
broke in Aim-Uncle, who had allowed her to talk on 
uninterruptedly so far. 

“ Ugh! ” exclaimed Dete, throwing up her head in 
disgust, “ one would think I had been talking to you 
about the most ordinary matter; why there is not one 
person in all Prattigau who would not thank God if I 
were to bring them such a piece of news as I am 
bringing you.” 

“ You may take your news to anybody you like, I 
will have nothing to do with it.” 

But now Dete leaped up from her seat like a rocket 
and cried, “ If that is all you have to say about it, why 
then I will give you a bit of my mind. The child is 
now eight years old and knows nothing, and you will 
not let her learn. You will not send her to church 
or school, as I was told down in Dorfli, and she is my 
own sister’s child. I am responsible for what hap¬ 
pens to her, and when there is such a good opening 
for a child, as this which offers for Heidi, only a 
person who cares for nobody and never wishes good 
to any one would think of not jumping at it. But I 
am not going to give in, and that I tell you; I have 
everybody in Dorfli on my side; there is not one per- 


86 


HEIDI 


son there who will not take my part against you; 
and I advise you to think well before bringing it into 
court, if that is your intention; there are certain 
things which might be brought up against you which 
you would not care to hear, for when one has to do 
with law-courts there is a great deal raked up that 
had been forgotten.” 

“ Be silent! ” thundered the Uncle, and his eyes 
flashed with anger. “ Go and be done with you! and 
never let me see you again with your hat and feather, 
and such words on your tongue as you come with to¬ 
day ! ” And with that he strode out of the hut. 

“ You have made grandfather angry,” said Heidi, 
and her dark eyes had anything but a friendly ex¬ 
pression in them as she looked at Dete. 

“ He will soon be all right again; come now,” said 
Dete hurriedly, “ and show me where your clothes 
are.” 

“ I am not coming,” said Heidi. 

“Nonsense,” continued Dete; then altering her 
tone to one half-coaxing, half-cross, “ Come, come, 
you do not understand any better than your grand¬ 
father ; you will have all sorts of good things that you 
never dreamed of.” Then she went to the cupboard 
and taking out Heidi’s things rolled them up in a 
bundle. “ Come along now, there’s your hat; it is 
very shabby but will do for the present; put it on and 
let us make haste off.” 

“ I am not coming,” repeated Heidi. 

“ Don’t be so stupid and obstinate, like a goat; I 


1 


TWO VISITS 


87 

suppose it’s from the goats you have learnt to be so. 
Listen to me: you saw your grandfather was angry 
and heard what he said, that he did not wish to see 
us ever again; he wants you now to go away with 
me and you must not make him angrier still. You 
can’t think how nice it is at Frankfurt, and what a 
lot of things you will see, and if you do not like it 
you can come back again; your grandfather will be 
in a good temper again by that time.” 

“ Can I return at once and be back home again 
here this evening? ” asked Heidi. 

“ What are you talking about, come along now! 
I tell you that you can come back here when you 
like. To-day we shall go as far as Mayenfeld, and 
early to-morrow we shall start in the train, and that 
will bring you home again in no time when you wish 
it, for it goes as fast as the wind.” 

Dete had now got the bundle under her arm and 
the child by the hand, and so they went down the 
mountain together. 

As it was still too early in the year to take his goats 
out, Peter continued to go to school at Dorfli, but 
now and again he stole a holiday, for he could see no 
use in learning to read, while to wander about a bit 
and look for stout sticks which might be wanted some 
day he thought a far better employment. As Dete 
and Heidi neared the grandmother’s hut they met 
Peter coming round the corner; he had evidently been 
well rewarded that day for his labors, for he was 
carrying an immense bundle of long thick hazel sticks 


88 


HEIDI 


on his shoulders. He stood still and stared at the two 
approaching figures; as they came up to him, he ex¬ 
claimed, ‘‘Where are you going, Heidi? 

“ I am only just going over to Frankfurt for a little 
visit with Dete,” she replied; “ but I must first run in 
to grandmother, she will be expecting me.” 

“No, no, you must not stop to talk; it is already 
too late,” said Dete, holding Heidi, who was strug¬ 
gling to get away, fast by the hand. “ You can go 
in when you come back, you must come along now,” 
and she pulled the child on v/ith her, fearing that if 
she let her go in Fleidi might take it into her head 
again that she did not wish to come, and that the 
grandmother might stand by her. Peter ran into 
the hut and banged against the table v^^ith his bundle 
of sticks with such violence that everything in the 
room shook, and his grandmother leaped up with a 
cry of alarm from her spinning-wheel. Peter had 
felt that he must give vent to his feelings somehow. 

“ What is the matter? What is the matter? ” cried 
the frightened old woman, while his mother, who had 
also started up from her seat at the shock, said in her 
usual patient manner, “ What is it, Peter? why do 
you behave so roughly? ” 

“ Because she is taking Heidi away,” explained 
Peter. 

“Who? who? where to, Peter, where to?” asked 
the grandmother, growing still more agitated; but 
even as she spoke she guessed what had happened, 
for Brigitta had told her shortly before that she had 
seen Dete going up to Alm-Uncle. The old woman 


TWO VISITS 


89 

rose hastily and with trembling hands opened the 
window and called out beseechingly, “ Dete, Dete, do 
not take the child away from us! do not take her 
away! ” 

The two who were hastening down the mountain 
heard her voice, and Dete evidently caught the words, 
for she grasped Heidi’s hand more firmly. Heidi 
struggled to get free, crying, “ Grandmother is call¬ 
ing, I must go to her.” 

But Dete had no intention of letting the child go, 
and quieted her as best she could; they must make 
haste now, she said, or they would be too late and 
not able to go on the next day to Frankfurt, and there 
the child would see how delightful it was, and Dete 
was sure would not wish to go back when she was 
once there. But if Heidi wanted to return home she 
could do so at once, and then she could take some¬ 
thing she liked back to grandmother. This was a 
new idea to Heidi, and it pleased her so much that 
Dete had no longer any difficulty in getting her along. 

x4fter a few minutes’ silence, Heidi asked, “ What 
could I take back to her? ” 

“We must think of something nice,” answered 
Dete; “ a soft roll of white bread; she would enjoy 
that, for now she is old she can hardly eat the hard, 
black bread.” 

“ No, she always gives it back to Peter, telling him 
it is too hard, for I have seen her do it myself,” 
affirmed Heidi. “ Do let us make haste, for then 
perhaps we can get back soon from Frankfurt, and I 
shall be able to give her the white bread to-day.” 

\ 


go 


HEIDI 


And Heidi started off running so fast that Dete with 
the bundle under her arm could scarcely keep up 
with her. But she was glad, nevertheless, to get 
along so quickly, for they were nearing Dorfli, where 
her friends would probably talk and question in a way 
that might put other ideas into Heidi’s head. So she 
went on straight ahead through the village, holding 
Heidi tightly by the hand, so that they might all see 
that it was on the child’s account she was hurrying 
along at such a rate. To all their questions and re¬ 
marks she made answer as she passed “ I can’t stop 
now, as you see, I must make haste with the child as 
we have yet some way to go.” 

“Are you taking her away?” “Is she running 
away from Alm-Uncle? ” “ It’s a wonder she is still 

alive! ” “ But what rosy cheeks she hasl ” Such 
were the words which rang out on all sides, and Dete 
was thankful that she had not to stop and give any 
distinct answers to them, while Heidi hurried eagerly 
forward without saying a word. 

From that day forward Alm-Uncle looked fiercer 
and more forbidding than ever when he came down 
and passed through Dorfli. He spoke to no one, and 
looked such an ogre as he came along with his pack 
of cheeses on his back, his immense stick in his hand, 
and his thick, frowning eyebrows, that the women 
would call to their little ones, “ Take care! get out of 
Alm-Uncle’s way or he may hurt you! ” 

The old man took no notice of anybody as he strode 
through the village on his way to the valley below, 
where he sold his cheeses and bought v/hat bread and 


TWO VISITS 


91 


meat he wanted for himself. After he had passed the 
villagers all crowded together looking after him, and 
each had something to say about him; how much 
wilder he looked than usual, how now he would not 
even respond to anybody’s greeting, while they all 
agreed that it was a great mercy the child had got 
away from him, and had they not all noticed how the 
child had hurried along as if afraid that her grand¬ 
father might be following to take her back? Only 
the blind grandmother would have nothing to say 
against him, and told those who came to her to bring 
her work, or take away what she had spun, how kind 
and thoughtful he had been with the child, how good 
to her and her daughter, and how many afternoons he 
had spent mending the house which, but for his help, 
would certainly by this time have fallen down over 
their heads. And all this was repeated down in 
Dorfli; but most of the people who heard it said that 
grandmother was too old to understand, and very 
likely had not heard rightly what was said; as she 
was blind she was probably also deaf. 

Alm-Uncle went no more now to the grandmother’s 
house, and it was well that he had made it so safe, for 
it was not touched again for a long time. The days 
were sad again now for the old blind woman, and not 
one passed but what she would murmur complain- 
ingly, “Alas! all our happiness and pleasure have 
gone with the child, and now the days are so long 
and dreary! Pray God, I see Heidi again once more 
before I die I ” 


^ <&toc 



I N her home at Frankfurt, Clara, the little daugh¬ 
ter of Herr Sesemann, was lying on the invalid 
couch on which she spent her whole day, being 
wheeled in it from room to room. Just now she was 
in what was known as the study, where, to judge by 
the various things standing and lying about, which 
added to the cosy appearance of the room, the family 
was fond of sitting. A handsome bookcase with 
glass doors explained why it was called the study, and 
here evidently the little girl was accustomed to have 
her lessons. 

Clara’s little face was thin and pale, and at this 
moment her two soft blue eyes were fixed on the 
clock, which seemed to her to go very slowly this 
day, and with a slight accent of impatience, which 
was very rare with her, she asked, “ Isn’t it time yet, 
Fraulein Rottenmeier? ” 

This lady was sitting very upright at a small work¬ 
table, busy with her embroidery. She had on a 
mysterious-looking loose garment, a large collar or 
shoulder-cape that gave a certain solemnity to her 
appearance, which was enhanced by a very lofty 
dome-shaped head dress. For many years past, since 
the mistress of the house had died, the housekeeping 

92 




NEW Cil AFTER 


93 


and the superintendence of the servants had been en¬ 
trusted by Herr Sesemann to Fraulein Rottenmeier. 
He himself was often away from home, and he left 
her in sole charge, with the condition only that his 
little daughter should have a voice in all matters, and 
that nothing should be done against her wish. 

As Clara was putting her impatient question for 
the second time, Dete and Heidi arrived at the front 
door, and the former inquired of the coachman, who 
had just got down from his box, if it was too late to 
see Fraulein Rottenmeier. 

“ That’s not my business,” grumbled the coach¬ 
man; “ ring the bell in the hall for Sebastian.” 

Dete did so, and Sebastian came downstairs; he 
looked astonished when he saw her, opening his eyes 
till they were nearly as big as the large round buttons 
on his coat. 

“Is it too late for me to see Fraulein Rotten¬ 
meier? ” Dete asked again. 

“ That’s not my business,” answered the man; 
“ ring that other bell for the maid Tinette,” and with¬ 
out troubling himself any farther Sebastian disap¬ 
peared. 

Dete rang again. This time Tinette appeared 
with a spotless white cap perched on the top of her 
head and a mocking expression of face. 

“ What is it? ” she called from the top of the stairs. 
Dete repeated her question. Tinette disappeared, 
but soon came back and called down again to Dete, 
“ Come up, she is expecting you.” 

Dete and Heidi went upstairs and into the study. 


94 


HEIDI 


Tinette following. Dete remained standing politely 
near the door, still holding Heidi tightly by the hand, 
for she did not know what the child might take 
it into her head to do amid these new surround¬ 
ings. 

Fraulein Rottenmeier rose slowly and went up to 
the little new companion for the daughter of the 
house, to see what she was like. She did not seem 
very pleased with her appearance. Heidi was 
dressed in her plain little woollen frock, and her hat 
was an old straw one bent out of shape. The child 
looked innocently out from beneath it, gazing with 
unconcealed astonishment at the lady’s towering head 
dress. 

“What is your name?” asked Fraulen Rotten¬ 
meier, after scrutinisingly examining the child for 
some minutes, while Heidi in return kept her eyes 
steadily fixed upon the lady. 

“ Heidi,” she answered in a clear, ringing voice. 

“What? what? that’s no Christian name for a 
child; you were not christened that. What name did 
they give you when you were baptized ? ” continued 
Fraulein Rottenmeier. 

“ I do not remember,” replied Heidi. 

“ What a way to answer! ” said the lady, shaking 
her head. “ Dete, is the child a simpleton or only 
saucy? ” 

“If the lady will allow me, I will speak for the 
child, for she is very unaccustomed to strangers,” 
said Dete, who had given Heidi a silent poke for 
making such an unsuitable answer. “ She is cer- 


NEW CHAPTER 


95 


tainly not stupid nor yet saucy, she does not know 
what it means even; she speaks exactly as she thinks. 
To-day she is for the first time in a gentleman’s house 
and she does not know good manners; but she is 
docile and very willing to learn, if the lady will kindly 
make excuses for her. She was christened Adelaide, 
after her mother, my sister, who is now dead.” 

Well, that’s a name that one can pronounce,” 
remarked Fraulein Rottenmeier. “ But I must tell 
you, Dete, that I am astonished to see so young a 
child. I told you that I wanted a companion of the 
same age as the young lady of the house, one who 
could share her lessons, and all her other occupations. 
Fraulein Clara is now over twelve; what age is this 
child?” 

“ If the lady will allow me,” began Dete again, in 
her usual fluent manner, “ I myself had lost count of 
her exact age; she is certainly a little younger, but not 
much; I cannot say precisely, but I think she is ten, 
or thereabouts.” 

“ Grandfather told me I was eight,” put in Heidi. 
Dete gave her another poke, but as the child had not 
the least idea why she did so she was not at all con¬ 
fused. 

“What — only eight!” cried Fraulein Rotten¬ 
meier angrily. “Four years too young! Of what 
use is such a child! And what have you learnt? 
What books did you have to learn from? ” 

“ None,” said Heidi. 

“ How? what? How then did you learn to read? ” 
continued the lady. 


g6 HEIDI 

“ I have never learnt to read, or Peter either,” 
Heidi informed her. 

“ Mercy upon us! you do not know how to read! 
Is it really so?” exclaimed Fraulein Rottenmeier, 
greatly horrified. “ Is it possible — not able to read ? 
What have you learnt then? ” 

“ Nothing,” said Heidi with unflinching truthful¬ 
ness. 

“ Young woman,” said the lady to Dete, after hav¬ 
ing paused for a minute or two to recover from her 
shock, “ this is not at all the sort of companion you 
led me to suppose; how could you think of bringing 
me a child like this? ” 

But Dete was not to be put down* so easily, and 
answered warmly, “ If the lady will allow me, the 
child is exactly what I thought she required; the lady 
described what she wished for, a child unlike all other 
children, and I could find no other to suit, for the 
greater number I know are not peculiar, but one 
very much the same as the other, and I thought this 
child seemed as if made for the place. But I must 
go now, for my mistress will be waiting for me; if the 
lady will permit I will come again soon and see how 
she is getting on.” And with a bow Dete quickly 
left the room and ran downstairs. Fraulein Rotten¬ 
meier stood for a moment taken aback and then ran 
after Dete. If the child was to stop she had many 
things yet to say and ask about her, and there the 
child was, and what was more, Dete, as she plainly 
saw, meant to leave her there. 

Heidi remained by the door where she had been 


NEW CHAPTER 


97 


standing since she first came in. Clara had looked 
on during the interview without speaking; now she 
beckoned to Heidi and said, “ Come here! ” 

Heidi went up to her. 

“ Would you rather be called Heidi or Adelaide? ” 
asked Clara. 

“ I am never called anything but Heidi,” was the 
child's prompt answer. 

“ Then I shall always call you by that name,” said 
Clara, “ it suits you. I have never heard it before, 
but neither have I ever seen a child like you before. 
Have you always had that short curly hair? ” 

“ Yes, I think so,” said Heidi. 

“ Are you pleased to come to Frankfurt? ” went on 
Clara. 

“No, but I shall go home to-morrow and take 
grandmother a white loaf,” explained Heidi. 

“Well, you are a funny child!” exclaimed Clara. 
“ You were expressly sent for to come here and to 
remain with me and share my lessons; there will be 
some fun about them now as you cannot read, some¬ 
thing new to do, for often they are dreadfully dull, 
and I think the morning will never pass away. You 
know my tutor comes every morning at about ten 
o'clock, and then we go on with lessons till two, and 
it does seem such a long time. Sometimes he takes 
up the book and holds it close up to his face, as if he 
was very short-sighted, but I know it's only because 
he wants so dreadfully to gape, and Fraulein Rotten- 
meier takes her large handkerchief out also now and 
then and covers her face with it, as if she was moved 


HEIDI 


98 

by what we had been reading, but that is only be¬ 
cause she is longing to gape too. And I myself often 
want to gape, but I am obliged to stop myself, for if 
Fraulein Rottenmeier sees me gaping she runs off at 
once and fetches the cod-liver oil and says I must 
have a dose, as I am getting weak again, and the 
cod-liver oil is horrible, so I do my best not to gape. 
But now it will be.much more amusing, for I shall be 
able to lie and listen while you learn to read.” 

Heidi shook her head doubtfully when she heard of 
learning to read. 

“ Oh, nonsense, Heidi, of course you must learn to 
read, everybody must, and my tutor is very kind, and 
never cross, and he will explain everything to you. 
But mind, when he explains anything to you, you 
won’t be able to understand; but don’t ask any ques¬ 
tions, or else he will go on explaining and you will 
understand less than ever. Later when you have 
learnt more and know about things yourself, then 
you will begin to understand what he meant.” 

Fraulein Rottenmeier now came back into the 
room; she had not been able to overtake Dete, and 
was evidently very much put out; for she had wanted 
to go into more details concerning the child, and to 
convince Dete how misleading she had been, and how 
unfit Heidi was as a companion for Clara; she really 
did not know what to be about, or how to undo the 
mischief, and it made her all the more angry that she 
herself was responsible for it, having consented to 
Heidi being fetched. She ran backwards and for¬ 
wards in a state of agitation between the study and 


NEW CHAPTER 


99 


the dining-room, and then began scolding Sebastian, 
who was standing looking at the table he had just 
finished laying to see that nothing was missing. 

“ You can finish your thoughts to-morrow morn¬ 
ing ; make haste, or we shall get no dinner to-day at 
all.*’ 

Then hurrying out she called Tinette, but in such 
an ill-tempered voice that the maid came tripping 
forward with even more mincing steps than usual, 
but she looked so pert that even Fraulein Rotten- 
meier did not venture to scold her, which only made 
her suppressed anger the greater. 

“ See that the room is prepared for the little girl 
who has just arrived,” said the lady, with a violent 
effort at self-control. “ Everything is ready; it only 
wants dusting.” 

“ It’s worth my troubling about,” said Tinette 
mockingly as she turned away. 

Meanwhile Sebastian had flung open the folding 
doors leading into the dining-room with rather more 
noise than he need, for he was feeling furious, al¬ 
though he did not dare answer back when Fraulein 
Rottenmeier spoke to him; he then went up to Clara’s 
chair to wheel her into the next room. As he was 
arranging the handle at the back preparatory to do¬ 
ing so, Heidi went near and stood staring at 
him. Seeing her eyes fixed upon him, he suddenly 
growled out, “Well, what is there in me to stare at 
like that? ” which he would certainly not have done 
if he had been aware that FrMein Rottenmeier was 
just then entering the room. “You look so like 


100 


HEIDI 


Peter,” answered Heidi. The lady-housekeeper 
clasped her hands in horror. “ Is it possible! ” she 
stammered half-aloud, “ she is now addressing the 
servant as if he were a friend! I never could have 
imagined such a child! ” 

Sebastian wheeled the couch into the dining-room 
and helped Clara on to her chair. Fraulein Rotten- 
meier took the seat beside her and made a sign to 
Heidi to take the one opposite. They were the only 
three at table, and as they sat far apart there was 
plenty of room for Sebastian to hand his dishes. Be¬ 
side Heidi’s plate lay a nice white roll, and her eyes 
lighted up with pleasure as she saw it. The resem¬ 
blance which Heidi had noticed had evidently 
awakened in her a feeling of confidence towards Se¬ 
bastian, for she sat as still as a mouse and without 
moving until he came up to her side and handed her 
the dish of fish; then she looked at the roll and asked, 
“ Can I have it? ” Sebastian nodded, throwing a 
side glance at Fraulein Rottenmeier to see what ef¬ 
fect this request would have upon her. Heidi im¬ 
mediately seized the roll and put it in her pocket. 
Sebastian’s face became convulsed, he was overcome 
with inward laughter but knew his place too well to 
laugh aloud. Mute and motionless he still remained 
standing beside Heidi; it was not his duty to speak, 
nor to move away until she had helped herself. Heidi 
looked wonderingly at him for a minute or two, and 
then said, “ Am I to eat some of that too? ” Sebas¬ 
tian nodded again. “ Give me some then,” she said, 




■ i. 


#) 


NEW CHAPTER 


lOI 


looking calmly at her plate. At this Sebastian’s com¬ 
mand of his countenance became doubtful, and the 
dish began to tremble suspiciously in his hands. 

“ You can put the dish on the table and come back 
presently,” said Fraulein Rottenmeier with a severe 
expression of face. Sebastian disappeared on the 
spot. “ As for you, Adelaide, I see I shall have to 
teach you the first rules of behavior,” continued the 
lady-housekeeper with a sigh. “ I will begin by ex¬ 
plaining to you how you are to conduct yourself at 
table,” and she went on to give Heidi minute instruc¬ 
tions as to all she was to do. “ And now,” she con¬ 
tinued, “ I must make you particularly understand 
that you are not to speak to Sebastian at table, or at 
any other time, unless you have an order to give him, 
or a necessary question to put to him; and then you 
are not to address him as if he was some one belong¬ 
ing to you. Never let me hear you speak to him in 
that way again! It is the same with Tinette, and for 
myself you are to address me as you hear others 
doing. Clara must herself decide what you are to 
call her.” 

“ Why, Clara, of course,” put the latter. Then 
followed a long list of rules as to general behavior, 
getting up and going to bed, going in and out of the 
room, shutting the doors, keeping everything tidy, 
during the course of which Heidi’s eyes gradually 
closed, for she had been up before five o’clock that 
morning and had had a long journey. She leant 
back in her chair and fell fast asleep. Fraulein Rot- 


y 


102 


HEIDI 


tenmeier having at last come to the end of her ser¬ 
monizing said, “ Now remember what I have said, 
Adelaide! Have you understood it all?” 

“ Heidi has been asleep for ever so long,” said 
Clara, her face rippling all over with amusement, for 
she had not had such an entertaining dinner for a 
long time. 

** It is really insupportable what one has to go 
through with this child,” exclaimed Fraulein Rotten- 
meier, in great indignation, and she rang the bell so 
violently that Tinette and Sebastian both came run¬ 
ning in and nearly tumbling over one another; but no 
noise was sufficient to wake Heidi, and it was with 
difficulty they could rouse her sufficiently to get her 
along to her bedroom, to reach which she had to pass 
first through the study, then through Clara’s bed¬ 
room, then through FrMein Rottenmeier’s sitting- 
room, till she came to the corner room that had been 
set apart for her. 



W HEN Heidi opened her eyes on her first 
morning in Frankfurt she could not think 
where she was. Then she rubbed them 
and looked about her. She was sitting up in a high 
white bed, on one side of a large, wide room, into 
which the light was falling through very, very long 
white curtains; near the window stood two chairs 
covered with large flowers, and then came a sofa with 
the same flowers, in front of which was a round table; 
in the corner was a washstand, with things upon it 
that Heidi had never seen in her life before. But 
now all at once she remembered that she was in 
Frankfurt; everything that had happened the day be¬ 
fore came back to her, and finally she recalled clearly 
the instructions that had been given her by the lady- 
housekeeper, as far as she had heard them. Heidi 
jumped out of bed and dressed herself; then she ran 
first to one window and then another; she wanted to 
see the sky and country outside; she felt like a bird 
in a cage behind those great curtains. But they were 
too heavy for her to put aside, so she crept under¬ 
neath them to get to the window. But these again 
were so high that she could only just get her head 

103 





104 


HEIDI 


above the sill to peer out. Even then she could not 
see what she longed for. In vain she went first to 
one and then the other of the windows — she could 
see nothing but walls and windows and again walls 
and windows. Heidi felt quite frightened. It was 
still early, for Heidi was accustomed to get up early 
and run out at once to see how everything was look¬ 
ing, if the sky was blue and if the sun was already 
above the mountains, or if the fir trees were waving 
and the flowers had opened their eyes. As a bird, 
when it first finds itself in its bright new cage, darts 
hither and thither, trying the bars in turn to see if it 
cannot get through them and fly again into the open, 
so Heidi continued to run backwards and forwards, 
trying to open first one and then the other of the 
windows, for she felt she could not bear to see nothing 
but walls and windows, and somewhere outside there 
must be the green grass, and the last unmelted snows 
on the mountain slopes, which Heidi so longed to see. 
But the windows remained immovable, try what 
Heidi would to open them, even endeavoring to push 
her little fingers under them to lift them up; but it 
was all no use. When after a while Heidi saw that 
her efforts were fruitless, she gave up trying, and be¬ 
gan to think whether she would not go out and round 
the house till she came to the grass, but then she re¬ 
membered that the night before she had only seen 
stones in front of the house. At that moment a 
knock came to the door, and immediately after Tin- 
ette put her head inside and said, “Breakfast is 
ready.” Heidi had no idea what an invitation so 


FRAULEIN ROTTENMEIER 105 

worded meant, and Tinette’s face did not encourage 
any questioning on Heidi’s part, but rather the re¬ 
verse. Heidi was sharp enough to read its expres¬ 
sion, and acted accordingly. So she drew the little 
stool out from under the table, put it in the corner 
and sat down upon it, and there silently awaited what 
would happen next. Shortly after, with a good deal 
of rustling and bustling Fraulein Rottenmeier ap¬ 
peared, who again seemed very much put out and 
called to Heidi, “ What is the matter with you, Adel- 
heid? Don’t you understand what breakfast is? 
Come along at once! ” 

Heidi had no difficulty in understanding now and 
followed at once. Clara had been some time at the 
breakfast table and she gave Heidi a kindly greeting, 
her face looking considerably more cheerful than 
usual, for she looked forward to all kinds of new 
things happening again that day. Breakfast passed 
off quietly; Heidi eat her bread and butter in a per¬ 
fectly correct manner, and when the meal was over 
and Clara wheeled back into the study, Fraulein Rot¬ 
tenmeier told her to follow and remain with Clara 
luitil the tutor should arrive and lessons begin. 

As soon as the children were alone again, Heidi 
asked, “ How can one see out from here, and look 
right down on to the ground?” 

“ You must open the window and look out,” replied 
Clara amused. 

“But the windows won’t open,” responded Heidi 
sadly. 

“ Yes, they will,” Clara assured her. “ You cannot 


io6 


HEIDI 


open them, nor I either, but when you see Sebastian 
you can ask him to open one/’ 

It was a great relief to Heidi to know that the 
windows could be opened and that one could look out, 
for she still felt as if she was shut up in prison. Clara 
now began to ask her questions about her home, and 
Heidi was delighted to tell her all about the mountain 
and the goats, and the flowery meadows which were 
so dear to her. 

Meanwhile her tutor had arrived; Fraulein Rotten- 
meier, however, did not bring him straight into the 
study but drew him first aside into the dining-room, 
where she poured forth her troubles and explained to 
him the awkward position in which she was placed, 
and how it had all come about. It appeared that she 
had written some time back to Herr Sesemann to tell 
him that his daughter very much wished to have a 
companion, and had added how desirable she thought 
it herself, as it would be a spur to Clara at her lessons 
and an amusement for her in her playtime. Frau¬ 
lein Rottenmeier had privately wished for this ar¬ 
rangement on her own behalf, as it would relieve her 
from having always to entertain the sick girl herself, 
which she felt at times was too much for her. The 
father had answered that he was quite willing to let 
his daughter have a companion, provided she was 
treated in every way like his own child, as he would 
not have any child tormented or put upon —“ which 
was a very unnecessary remark,” put in Fraulein Rot¬ 
tenmeier, ‘‘for who wants to torment children!” 
But now she went on to explain how dreadfully she 


FRAULEIN ROTTENMEIER 107 

had been taken in about the child, and related all the 
unimaginable things of which she had already been 
guilty, so that not only would he have to begin with 
teaching her the ABC, but would have to start with 
the most rudimentary instruction as regarded every¬ 
thing to do with daily life. She could see only one 
way out of this disastrous state of affairs, and that 
was for the tutor to declare that it was impossible for 
the two to learn together without detriment to Clara, 
who was so far ahead of the other; that would be a 
valid excuse for getting rid of the child, and Herr 
Sesemann would be sure to agree to the child being 
sent home again, but she dared not do this without his 
order, since he was aware that by this time the com¬ 
panion had arrived. But the tutor was a cautious 
man and not inclined to take a partial view of mat¬ 
ters. He tried to calm Fraulein Rottenmeier, and 
gave it as his opinion that if the little girl was back¬ 
ward in some things she was probably advanced in 
others, and a little regular teaching would soon set 
the balance right. When Fraulein Rottenmeier saw 
that he was not ready to support her, and evidently 
quite ready to undertake teaching the alphabet, she 
opened the study door, which she quickly shut again 
as soon as he had gone through, remaining on the 
other side herself, for she had a perfect horror of the 
ABC. She walked up and down the dining-room, 
thinking over in her own mind how the servants were 
to be told to address Adelaide. The father had writ¬ 
ten that she was to be treated exactly like his own 
daughter, and this would especially refer, she imag- 


io8 


HEIDI 


ined, to the servants. She was not allowed, however, 
a very long interval of time for consideration, for 
suddenly the sound of a frightful crash was heard in 
the study, followed by frantic cries for Sebastian. 
She rushed into the room. There on the floor lay in 
a confused heap, books, exercise-books, inkstand, and 
other articles with the table-cloth on the top, while 
from beneath them a dark stream of ink was flowing 
all across the floor. Heidi had disappeared. 

“Here’s a state of things!” exclaimed Fraulein 
Rottenmeier, wringing her hands. “ Table-cloth, 
books, work-basket, everything lying in the ink! It 
was that unfortunate child, I suppose! ” 

The tutor was standing looking down at the havoc 
in distress; there was certainly only one view to be 
taken of such a matter as this and that an unfavor¬ 
able one. Clara meanwhile appeared to find pleasure 
in such an unusual event and in watching the results. 
“ Yes, Heidi did it,” she explained, “ but quite by ac¬ 
cident; she must on no account be punished; she 
jumped up in such violent haste to get away that she 
dragged the tablecloth along with her, and so every¬ 
thing went over. There were a number of vehicles 
passing, that is why she rushed off like that; perhaps 
she has never seen a carriage.” 

“ Is it not as I said ? She has not the smallest 
notion about anything! not the slightest idea that she 
ought to sit still and listen while her lessons are going 
on. But where is the child who has caused all this 
trouble? Surely she has not run away! What 
would Herr Sesemann say to me? ” She ran out of 


FRAULEIN ROTTENMEIER 109 

the room and down the stairs. There, at the bottom, 
standing in the open door-way, was Heidi, looking in 
amazement up and down the street. 

“ What are you doing? What are you thinking of 
to run away like that? ” called Fraulein Rottenmeier. 

“ I heard the sound of the fir trees, but I cannot see 
where they are, and now I cannot hear them any 
more,” answered Heidi, looking disappointedly in the 
direction whence the noise of the passing carriages 
had reached her, and which to Heidi had seemed like 
the blowing of the south wind in the trees, so that in 
great joy of heart she had rushed out to look at them. 

“Fir trees! do you suppose we are in a wood? 
What ridiculous ideas are these? Come upstairs and 
see the mischief you have done! ” 

Heidi turned and followed Fraulein Rottenmeier 
upstairs; she was quite astonished to see the disaster 
she had caused, for in her joy and haste to get to the 
fir trees she had been unaware of having dragged 
everything after her. 

“ I excuse you doing this as it is the first time, but 
do not let me know you doing it a second time,” said 
Fraulein Rottenmeier, pointing to the floor. “ Dur¬ 
ing your lesson time you are to sit still and attend. 
If you cannot do this I shall have to tie you to your 
chair. Do you understand? ” 

“Yes,” replied Heidi, “but I will certainly not 
move again,” for now she understood that it was a 
rule to sit still while she was being taught. 

Sebastian and Tinette were now sent for to clear up 
the broken articles and put things in order again; the 


no 


HEIDI 


tutor said good-morning and left, as it was impossible 
to do any more lessons that day; there had been cer¬ 
tainly no time for gaping this morning. 

Clara had to rest for a certain time during the 
afternoon, and during this interval, as Fraulein Rot- 
tenmeier informed Heidi, the latter might amuse her¬ 
self as she liked. When Clara had been placed on 
her couch after dinner, and the lady-housekeeper had 
retired to her room, Heidi knew that her time had 
come to choose her own occupation. It was just 
what she was longing for, as there was something 
she had made up her mind to do; but she would re¬ 
quire some help for its accomplishment, and in view 
of this she took her stand in the hall in front of the 
dining-room door in order to intercept the person she 
wanted. In a few minutes up came Sebastian from 
the kitchen with a tray of silver tea-things, which he 
had to put away in the dining-room cupboard. As 
he reached the top stairs Heidi went up to him and 
addressed him in the formal manner she had been 
ordered to use by Fraulein Rottenmeier. 

Sebastian looked surprised and said somewhat 
curtly, “What is it you want, miss?” 

“ I only wished to ask you something, but it is 
nothing bad like this morning,” said Heidi, anxious 
to conciliate him, for she saw that Sebastian was 
rather in a cross temper, and quite thought that it was 
on account of the ink she had spilt on the floor. 

“ Indeed, and why, I should first like to know, do 
you address me like that?” replied Sebastian, evi¬ 
dently still put out. 


FRAULEIN ROTTENMEIER iii 


“ Fraulein Rottenmeier told me always to speak to 
you like that,” said Heidi. 

Then Sebastian laughed, which very much aston¬ 
ished Heidi, who had seen nothing amusing in the 
conversation, but Sebastian, now he understood that 
the child was only obeying orders, added in a friendly 
voice, “ What is it then that miss wants? ” 

It was now Heidi’s turn to be a little put out, and 
she said, “ My name is not miss, it is Heidi.” 

“ Quite so, but the same lady has ordered me to call 
you miss,” explained Sebastian. 

“ Has she? oh, then I must be called so,” said Heidi 
submissively, for she had already noticed that 
whatever Fraulein Rottenmeier said was law. 
“Then now I have three names,” she added with a 
sigh. 

“ What was it little miss wished to ask? ” said Se¬ 
bastian as he went on into the dining-room to put 
away his silver. 

“ How can a window be opened? ” 

“ Why, like that! ” and Sebastian flung up one of 
the large windows. 

Heidi ran to it, but she was not tall enough to see 
out, for her head only reached the sill. 

“There, now miss can look out and see what is 
going on below,” said Sebastian as he brought her a 
high wooden stool to stand on. 

Heidi climbed up, and at last, as she thought, was 
going to see what she had been longing for. But she 
drew back her head with a look of great disappoint¬ 
ment on her face. 


II 2 


HEIDI 


Why, there is nothing outside but the stony 
streets,” she said mournfully; “ but if I went right 
round to the other side of the house what should I 
see there, Sebastian? ” 

“ Nothing but what you see here,” he told her. 

“ Then where can I go to see right away over the 
whole valley? ” 

“ You would have to climb to the top of a high 
tower, a church tower, like that one over there with 
the gold ball above it. From there you can see right 
away ever so far.” 

Heidi climbed down quickly from her stool, ran to 
the door, down the steps and out into the street. 
Things were not, however, quite so easy as she 
thought. Looking from the window the tower had 
appeared so close that she imagined she had only to 
run over the road to reach it. But now, although she 
ran along the whole length of the street, she still did 
not get any nearer to it, and indeed soon lost sight of 
it altogether; she turned down another street, and 
went on and on, but still no tower. She passed a 
great many people, but they all seemed in such a 
hurry that Heidi thought they had not time to tell her 
which way to go. Then suddenly at one of the street 
corners she saw a boy standing, carrying a hand- 
organ on his back and a funny-looking animal on his 
arm. Heidi ran up to him and said, ‘‘ Where is the 
tower with the gold ball on the top ? ” 

“ I don’t know,” was the answer. 

‘‘ Who can I ask to show me? ” she asked again. 

“ I don’t know.” 


FRAULEIN ROTTENMEIER 113 

“ Do .you know any other church with a high 
tower? 

“ Yes, I know one.” 

“ Come then and show it me.” 

“ Show me first what you will give me for it,” and 
the boy held out his hand as he spoke. Heidi 
searched about in her pockets and presently drew out 
a card on which was painted a garland of beautiful 
red roses; she looked at it first for a moment or two, 
for she felt rather sorry to part with it; Clara had only 
that morning made her a present of it— but then, to 
look down into the valley and see all the lovely green 
slopes! “There,” said Heidi, holding out the card, 
“would you like to have that?” 

The boy drew back his hand and shook his head. 

“ What would you like then? ” asked Heidi, not 
sorry to put the card back in her pocket. 

“ Money.” 

“ I have none, but Clara has; I am sure she will 
give me some; how much do you want? ” 

“ Twopence.” 

“ Come along then.” 

They started off together along the street, and on 
the way Heidi asked her companion what he was car¬ 
rying on his back; it was a hand-organ, he told her, 
which played beautiful music when he turned the 
handle. All at once they found themselves in front 
of an old church with a high tower; the boy stood 
still, and said, “ There it is.” 

“ But how shall I get inside? ” asked Heidi, looking 
at the fast closed doors. 


HEIDI 


114 

“ I don’t know,” was the answer. 

“ Do you think that I can ring as they do for 
Sebastian? ” 

“ I don’t know.” 

Heidi had by this time caught sight of a bell in the 
wall which she now pulled with all her might. “ If I 
go up you must stay down here, for I do not know the 
way back, and you will have to shov/ me.” 

‘‘ What will you give me then for that? ” 

‘‘ What do you want me to give you? ” 

“ Another twopence.” 

They heard the key turning inside, and then some 
one pulled open the heavy creaking door; an old man 
came out and at first looked with surprise and then in 
anger at the children, as he began scolding them: 
“ What do you mean by ringing me down like this? 
Can’t you read what is written over the bell, ‘ For 
those who wish to go up the tower ’ ? ” 

The boy said nothing but pointed his finger at 
Heidi. The latter answered, ” But I do want to go 
up the tower.” 

“ What do you want up there? ” said the old man. 
‘‘ Has somebody sent you? ” 

“ No,” replied Heidi, “ I only wanted to go up that 
I might look down.” 

“ Get along home with you and don’t try this trick 
on me again, or you may not come off so easily a 
second time,” and with that he turned and was about 
to shut the door. But Heidi took hold of his coat and 
said beseechingly, “ Let me go up, just once.” 

He looked around, and his mood changed as he 


FRAULEIN ROTTENMEIER 115 

saw her pleading eyes; he took hold of her hand and 
said kindly, “ Well, if you really wish it so much, I 
will take you.” 

The boy sat down on the church steps to show 
that he was content to wait where he was. 

Hand in hand with the old man Heidi went up the 
many steps of the tower; they became smaller and 
smaller as they neared the top, and at last came one 
very narrow one, and there they were at the end of 
their climb. The old man lifted Heidi up that she 
might look out of the open window. 

“ There, now you can look down,” he said. 

Heidi saw beneath her a sea of roofs, towers, and 
chimney-pots; she quickly drew back her head and 
said in a sad, disappointed voice, “ It is not at all what 
I thought.” 

“ You see now, a child like you does not under¬ 
stand anything about a view! Come along down and 
don’t go ringing at my bell again! ” 

He lifted her down and went on before her down 
the narrow stairway. To the left of the turn where 
it grew wider stood the door of the tower-keeper’s 
room, and the landing ran out beside it to the edge 
of the steep slanting roof. At the far end of this was 
a large basket, in front of which sat a big grey cat, 
that snarled as it saw them, for she wished to warn 
the passers-by that they were not to meddle with 
her family. Heidi stood still and looked at her in 
astonishment, for she had never seen such a monster 
cat before; there were whole armies of mice, how¬ 
ever, in the old tower, so the cat had no difficulty in 


ii6 


HEIDI 


catching half a dozen for her dinner every day. The 
old man seeing Heidi so struck with admiration said, 
“ She will not hurt you while I am near; come, you 
can have a peep at the kittens.” 

Heidi went up to the basket and broke out into 
expressions of delight. 

“ Oh, the sweet little things! the darling kittens,” 
she kept on saying, as she jumped from side to side of 
the basket so as not to lose any of the droll gambols 
of the seven or eight little kittens that were scram¬ 
bling and rolling and falling over one another. 

“ Would you like to have one? ” said the old man, 
who enjoyed watching the child’s pleasure. 

For myself to keep?” said Heidi excitedly, who 
could hardly believe such happiness was to be hers. 

“ Ye^, of course, more than one if you like — in 
short, you can take away the whole lot if you have 
room for them,” for the old man was only too glad to 
think he could get rid of his kittens without more 
trouble. 

Heidi could hardly contain herself for joy. There 
would be plenty of room for them in the large house, 
and then how astonished and delighted Clara would 
be when she saw the sweet little kittens. 

“ But how can I take them with me? ” asked Heidi, 
and was going quickly to see how many she could 
carry away in her hands, when the old cat sprang at 
her so fiercely that she shrank back in fear. 

“ I will take them for you if you will tell me where,” 
said the old man, stroking the cat to quiet her, for she 


FRAULEIN ROTTENMEIER 117 

was an old friend of his that had lived with him in 
the tower for many years. 

“To Herr Sesemann’s, the big house where there 
is a gold dog’s head on the door, with a ring in its 
mouth,” explained Heidi. 

Such full directions as these were not really needed 
by the old man, who had had charge of the tower for 
many a long year and knew every house far and near, 
and moreover Sebastian was an acquaintance of his. 

“ I know the house,” he said, “ but when shall I 
bring them, and who shall I ask for ? — you are not 
one of the fcimily, I am sure.” 

“ No, but Clara will be so delighted when I take 
her the kittens.” 

The old man wished now to go downstairs, but 
Heidi did not know how to tear herself away from 
the amusing spectacle. 

“ If I could just take one or two away with me! 
one for myself and one for Clara, may I? ” 

“ Well, wait a moment,” said the man, and he drew 
the cat cautiously away into his room, and leaving 
her by a bowl of food came out again and shut the 
door. “ Now take two of them.” 

Heidi’s eyes shone with delight. She picked up 
a white kitten and another striped white and yellow, 
and put one in the right, the other in the left pocket. 
Then she went downstairs. The boy was still sitting 
outside on the steps, and as the old man shut the 
door of the church behind them, she said, “ Which is 
our way to Herr Sesemann’s house? ’’ 


ii8 


HEIDI 


‘‘ I don’t know,” was the answer. 

Heidi began a description of the front door and the 
steps and the windows, but the boy only shook his 
head, and was not any the wiser. 

“ Well, look here,” continued Heidi, “ from one 
window you can see a very, very large grey house, 
and the roof runs like this —” and Heidi drew a zig¬ 
zag line in the air with her forefinger. 

With this the boy jumped up, he was evidently in 
the habit of guiding himself by similar landmarks. 
He ran straight off with Heidi after him, and in a very 
short time they had reached the door with the large 
dog’s head for the knocker. Heidi rang the bell. 
Sebastian opened it quickly, and when he saw it was 
Heidi, “ Make haste! make haste,” he cried in a hur¬ 
ried voice. 

Heidi sprang hastily in and Sebastian shut the door 
after her, leaving the boy, whom he had not noticed, 
standing in wonder on the steps. 

“ Make haste, little miss,” said Sebastian again; 
“ go straight into the dining-room, they are already 
at table; Fraulein Rottenmeier looks like a loaded 
cannon. What could make the little miss run off like 
that? ” 

Heidi walked into the room. The lady house¬ 
keeper did not look up, Clara did not speak; there 
was an uncomfortable silence. Sebastian pushed her 
chair up for her, and when she was seated Fraulein 
Rottenmeier, with a severe countenance, sternly and 
solemnly addressed her: “ I will speak with you 

afterwards, Adelheid, only this much will I now say. 


FRAULEIN ROTTEN MEIER 119 

that you behaved in a most unmannerly and repre¬ 
hensible way by running out of the house as you did, 
without asking permission, without any one knowing 
a word about it; and then to go wandering about till 
this hour; I never heard of such behavior before.” 

“ Miau! ” came the answer back. 

This was too much for the lady’s temper; with 
raised voice she exclaimed, “ You dare, Adelheid, 
after your bad behavior, to answer me as if it were 
a joke? ” 

“ I did not —” began Heidi —“ Miau! miau! ” 

Sebastian almost dropped his dish and rushed out 
of the room. 

“ That will do,” Fraulein Rottenmeier tried to say, 
but her voice was almost stifled with anger. “ Get 
up and leave the room.” 

Heidi stood up frightened, and again made an at¬ 
tempt to explain. ‘‘ I really did not —” “ Miau! 

miau! miau! ” 

“ But, Heidi,” now put in Clara, “ when you see 
that it makes Fraulein Rottenmeier angry, why do 
you keep on saying miau? ” 

“ It isn’t I, it’s the kittens,” Heidi was at last given 
time to say. 

“ How! what! kittens! ” shrieked FrMein Rotten¬ 
meier. “Sebastian! Tinette! Find the horrid 
little things! take them away! ” And she rose and 
fled into the study and locked the door, so as to make 
sure that she was safe from the kittens, which to her 
were the most horrible things in creation. 

Sebastian was obliged to wait a few minutes out- 


120 


HEIDI 


side the door to get over his laughter before he went 
into the room again. He had, while serving Heidi, 
caught sight of a little kitten’s head peeping out 
of her pocket, and guessing the scene that would 
follow, had been so overcome with amusement at the 
first miaus that he had hardly been able to finish 
handing the dishes. The lady’s distressed cries for 
help had ceased before he had sufficiently regained 
his composure to go back into the dining-room. It 
was all peace and quietness there now, Clara had the 
kittens on her lap, and Heidi was kneeling beside her, 
both laughing and playing with the tiny, graceful 
little animals. 

“ Sebastian,” exclaimed Clara as he came in, “ you 
must help us; you must find a bed for the kittens 
where Fraulein Rottenmeier will not spy them out, 
for she is so afraid of them that she will send them 
away at once; but we want to keep them, and have 
them out whenever we are alone. Where can you 
put them? ” 

“ I will see to that,” answered Sebastian willingly. 
‘‘ I will make a bed in a basket and put it in some 
place where the lady is not likely to go; you leave it 
to me.” He set about the work at once, sniggling 
to himself the while, for he guessed there would be 
a further rumpus about this some day, and Sebastian 
was not without a certain pleasure in the thought of 
Fraulein Rottenmeier being a little disturbed. 

Not until some time had elapsed, and it was near¬ 
ing the hour for going to bed, did Fraulein Rotten¬ 
meier venture to open the door a crack and call 


PRAULEIN ROTTENMEIER 121 


through, ‘‘ Have you taken those dreadful little 
animals away, Sebastian? ’’ 

He assured her twice that he had done so; he had 
been hanging about the room in anticipation of this 
question, and now quickly and quietly caught up the 
kittens from Clara’s lap and disappeared with them. 

The castigatory sermon which Fraulein Rotten- 
meier had held in reserve for Heidi was put off till 
the following day, as she felt too exhausted now after 
all the emotions she had gone through of irritation, 
anger, and fright, of which Heidi had unconsciously 
been the cause. She retired without speaking, Clara 
and Heidi following, happy in their minds at knowing 
that the kittens were lying in a comfortable bed. 



S ebastian had just shown the tutor into the 
study on the following morning when there 
came another and very loud ring at the bell, 
which Sebastian ran quickly to answer. “ Only 
Herr Sesemann rings like that,” he said to himself; 
“ he must have returned home unexpectedly.” He 
pulled open the door, and there in front of him he saw 
a ragged little boy carrying a hand-organ on his back. 

‘‘ What’s the meaning of this? ” said Sebastian 
angrily. I’ll teach you to ring bells like that! 
What do you want here? ” 

“ I want to see Clara,” the boy answered. 

“ You dirty, good-for-nothing little rascal, can’t 
you be polite enough to say ‘ Miss Clara ’ ? What do 
you want with her? ” continued Sebastian roughly. 

“ She owes me fourpence,” explained the boy. 

“You must be out of your mind! And how do 
you know that any young lady of that name lives 
here? ” 

“ She owes me twopence for showing her the way 
there, and twopence for showing her the way back.” 
“ See what a pack of lies you are telling I The 

young lady never goes out, cannot even walk; be off 

122 








GREAT COMMOTION 123 

and get back to where you came from, before I have 
to help you along.” 

But the boy was not to be frightened away; he re¬ 
mained standing, and said in a determined voice, 
“ But I saw her in the street, and can describe her 
to you; she has short, curly black hair, and black 
eyes, and wears a brown dress, and does not talk quite 
like we do.” 

‘‘ Oho! thought Sebastian, laughing to himself, 
“ the little miss has evidently been up to more mis¬ 
chief.” Then, drawing the boy inside he said aloud, 
“ I understand now, come with me and wait outside 
the door till I tell you to go in. Be sure you begin 
playing your organ the instant you get inside the 
room; the lady is very fond of music.” 

Sebastian knocked at the study door, and a voice 
said, “ Come in.” 

“ There is a boy outside who says he must speak 
to Miss Clara herself,” Sebastian announced. 

Clara was delighted at such an extraordinary and 
unexpected message. 

“ Let him come in at once,” replied Clara; “ he 
must come in, must he not,” she added, turning to 
her tutor, “if he wishes so particularly to see me? ” 

The boy was already inside the room, and accord¬ 
ing to Sebastian’s directions immediately began to 
play his organ. Fraulein Rottenmeier, wishing to 
escape the ABC, had retired with her work to the 
dining-room. All at once she stopped and listened. 
Did those sounds come up from the street? And yet 
they seemed so near! But how could there be an 


124 


HEIDI 


organ playing in the study ? And yet — it surely was 
so. She rushed to the other end of the long dining¬ 
room and tore open the door. She could hardly 
believe her eyes. There, in the middle of the study, 
stood a ragged boy turning away at his organ in the 
most energetic manner. The tutor appeared to be 
making efforts to speak, but his voice could not be 
heard. Both children were listening delightedly to 
the music. 

“ Leave off! leave off at once! ” screamed Fraulein 
Rottenmeier. But her voice was drowned by the 
music. She was making a dash for the boy, when she 
saw something on the ground crawling towards her 
feet — a dreadful dark object — a tortoise. At this 
sight she jumped higher than she had for many long 
years before, shrieking with all her might, “ Sebas¬ 
tian ! Sebastian! ” 

The organ-player suddenly stopped, for this time 
her voice had risen louder than the music. Sebastian 
was standing outside bent double with laughter, for 
he had been peeping to see what was going on. By 
the time he entered the room Fraulein Rottenmeier 
had sunk into a chair. 

“Take them all out, boy and animal! Get them 
away at once! ” she commanded him. 

Sebastian pulled the boy away, the latter having 
quickly caught up the tortoise, and when he had got 
him outside he put something into his hand. “ There 
is the fourpence from Miss Clara, and another four- 
pence for the music. You did it all quite right!” 
and with that he shut the front door upon him. 


GREAT COMMOTION 125 

Quietness reigned again in the study, and lessons 
began once more; Fraulein Rottenmeier now took up 
her station in the study in order by her presence to 
prevent any further dreadful goings-on. 

But soon another knock came to the door, and 
Sebastian again stepped in, this time to say that 
some one had brought a large basket with orders 
that it was to be given at once to Miss Clara. 

‘‘For me?” said Clara in astonishment, her 
curiosity very much excited, “ bring it in at once 
that I may see what it is like.” 

Sebastian carried in a large covered basket and 
retired. 

“ I think the lessons had better be finished first 
before the basket is unpacked,” said Fraulein Rotten¬ 
meier. 

Clara could not conceive what was in it, and cast 
longing glances towards it. In the middle of one of 
her declensions she suddenly broke off and said to 
the tutor, “ Mayn’t I just give one peep inside to see 
what is in it before I go on? ” 

“ On some considerations I am for it, on others 
against it,” he began in answer; “ for it, on the 
ground that if your whole attention is directed to the 
basket —” but the speech remained unfinished. The 
cover of the basket was loose, and at this moment 
one, two, three, and then two more, and again more 
kittens came suddenly tumbling on to the floor and 
racing about the room in every direction, and with 
such indescribable rapidity that it seemed as if the 
whole room was full of them. They jumped over the 


126 


HEIDI 


tutor’s boots, bit at his trousers, climbed up Fraulein 
Rottenmeier’s dress, rolled about her feet, sprang up 
on to Clara’s couch, scratching, scrambling, and 
mewing: it was a sad scene of confusion. Clara, 
meanwhile, pleased with their gambols, kept on ex¬ 
claiming, “ Oh, the dear little things! how pretty 
they are! Look, Heidi, at this one; look, look, at 
that one over there! ” And Heidi in her delight kept 
running after them first into one corner and then into 
the other. The tutor stood up by the table not know¬ 
ing what to do, lifting first his right foot and then 
his left to get it away from the scrambling, scratching 
kittens. Fraulein Rottenmeier was unable at first to 
speak at all, so overcome was she with horror, and 
she did not dare rise from her chair for fear that all 
the dreadful little animals should jump upon her at 
once. At last she found voice to call loudly, 
“Tinette! Tinette! Sebastian! Sebastian!” 

They came in answer to her summons and gathered 
up the kittens; by degrees they got them all inside 
the basket again and then carried them off to put with 
the other two. 

To-day again there had been no opportunity for 
gaping. Late that evening, when Fraulein Rotten¬ 
meier had somewhat recovered from the excitement 
of the morning, she sent for the two servants, and 
examined them closely concerning the events of the 
morning. And then it came out that Heidi was at 
the bottom of them, everything being the result of 
her excursion of the day before. Fraulein Rotten¬ 
meier sat pale with indignation and did not know 


GREAT COMMOTION 127 

at first how to express her anger. Then she made a 
sign to Tinette and Sebastian to withdraw, and turn¬ 
ing to Heidi, who was standing by Clara’s couch, 
quite unable to understand of what sin she had been 
guilty, began in a severe voice,— 

“ Adelaide, I know of only one punishment which 
will perhaps make you alive to your ill conduct, for 
you are an utter little barbarian, but we v/ill see if we 
cannot tame you so that you shall not be guilty of 
such deeds again, by putting you in a dark cellar with 
the rats and black beetles.” 

Heidi listened in silence and surprise to her 
sentence, for she had never seen a cellar such as was 
now described; the place known at her grandfather’s 
as the cellar, where the fresh made cheeses and the 
new milk were kept, was a pleasant and inviting 
place; neither did she know at all what rats and 
black beetles were like. 

But now Clara interrupted in great distress. “ No, 
no, Fraulein Rottenmeier, you must wait till papa 
comes; he has written to say that he will soon be 
home, and then I will tell him everything, and he will 
say what is to be done with Heidi.” 

Fraulein Rottenmeier could not do anything 
against this superior authority, especially as the 
father was really expected very shortly. She rose 
and said with some displeasure, “ As you will, Clara, 
but I too shall have something to say to Herr Sese- 
mann.” And with that she left the room. 

Two days now went by without further disturb¬ 
ance. Fraulein Rottenmeier, however, could not re- 


128 


HEIDI 


cover her equanimity; she was perpetually reminded 
by Heidi’s presence of the deception that had been 
played upon her, and it seemed to her that ever since 
the child had come into the house everything had 
been topsy-turvy, and she could not bring things into 
proper order again. Clara had grown much more 
cheerful; she no longer found time hang heavy during 
the lesson hours, for Heidi was continually making 
a diversion of some kind or other. She jumbled all 
her letters up together and seemed quite unable to 
learn them, and when the tutor tried to draw her at¬ 
tention to their different shapes, and to help her by 
showing her that this was like a little horn, or that 
like a bird’s bill, she would suddenly exclaim in a joy¬ 
ful voice, “ That is a goat! ” “ That is a bird of 
prey!” For the tutor’s descriptions suggested all 
kinds of pictures to her mind, but left her still incap¬ 
able of the alphabet. In the later afternoons Heidi 
always sat with Clara, and then she would give the 
latter many and long descriptions of the mountain 
and of her life upon it, and the burning longing to re¬ 
turn would become so overpowering that she always 
finished with the words, ‘‘ Now I must go home! 
to-morrow I must really go! ” But Clara would try 
to quiet her, and tell Heidi that she must wait till her 
father returned, and then they would see what was 
to be done. And if Heidi gave in each time and 
seemed quickly to regain her good spirits, it was be¬ 
cause of a secret delight she had in the thought that 
every day added two more white rolls to the number 


GREAT COMMOTION 


129 


she was collecting for grandmother; for she always 
pocketed the roll placed beside her plate at dinner 
and supper, feeling that she could not bear to eat 
them, knowing that grandmother had no white bread 
and could hardly eat the black bread which was so 
hard. After dinner Heidi had to sit alone in her 
room for a couple of hours, for she understood now 
that she might not run about outside at Frankfurt 
as she did on the mountain, and so she did not attempt 
it. Any conversation with Sebastian in the dining¬ 
room was also forbidden her, and as to Tinette, she 
kept out of her way, and never thought of speaking 
to her, for Heidi was quite aware that the maid 
looked scornfully at her and always spoke to her 
in a mocking voice. So Heidi had plenty of time 
from day to day to sit and picture how everything 
at home was now turning green, and how the yellow 
flowers were shining in the sun, and how all around 
lay bright in the warm sunshine, the snow and the 
rocks, and the whole wide valley, and Heidi at times 
could hardly contain herself for the longing to be 
back home again. And Dete had told her that she 
could go home whenever she liked. So it came about 
one day that Heidi felt she could not bear it any 
longer, and in haste she tied all the rolls up in her 
red shawl, put on her straw hat, and went downstairs. 
But just as she reached the hall-door she met Fraulein 
Rottenmeier herself, just returning from a walk, 
which put a stop to Heidi’s journey. 

Fraulein Rottenmeier stood still a moment, looking 


130 


HEIDI 


at her from top to toe in blank astonishment, her eye 
resting particularly on the red bundle. Then she 
broke out,— 

“What have you dressed yourself like that for? 
What do you mean by this? Have I not strictly for¬ 
bidden you to go running about in the streets? And 
here you are ready to start off again, and going out 
looking like a beggar.’’ 

“ I was not going to run about, I was going home,” 
said Heidi, frightened. 

“ What are you talking about! Going home! 
You want to go home? ” exclaimed Fraulein Rotten- 
meier, her anger rising. “To run away like that! 
What would Herr Sesemann say if he knew! Take 
care that he never hears of this! And what is the 
matter with his house, I should like to know! Have 
you not been better treated than you deserved? 
Have you wanted for a thing? Have you ever in 
your life before had such a house to live in, such a 
table, or so many to wait upon you? Have you?” 

“ No,” replied Heidi. 

“ I should think not indeed! ” continued the 
exasperated lady. “ You have everything you can 
possibly want here, and you are an ungrateful little 
thing; it’s because you are too well off and comfort¬ 
able that you have nothing to do but think what 
naughty thing you can do next! ” 

Then Heidi’s feelings got the better of her, and she 
poured forth her trouble. “ Indeed I only want to go 
home, for if I stay so long away Snowflake will begin 
crying again, and grandmother is waiting for me, and 


GREAT COMMOTION 131 

Greenfinch will get beaten, because I am not there 
to give Peter any cheese, and I can never see how 
the sun says good-night to the mountains; and if the 
great bird were to fly over Frankfurt he would croak 
louder than ever about people huddling all together 
and teaching each other bad things, and not going 
to live up on the rocks, where it is so much better/* 

“ Heaven have mercy on us, the child is out of her 
mind!** cried Fraulein Rottenmeier, and she turned 
in terrror and went quickly up the steps, running 
violently against Sebastian in her hurry. ‘‘ Go and 
bring that unhappy little creature in at once,** she 
ordered him, putting her hand to her forehead which 
she had bumped against his. 

Sebastian did as he was told, rubbing his own 
head as he went, for he had received a still harder 
blow. 

Heidi had not moved, she stood with her eyes 
aflame and trembling all over with inward agitation. 

“ What, got into trouble again? ** said Sebastian 
in a cheerful voice; but when he looked more closely 
at Heidi and saw that she did not move, he put his 
hand kindly on her shoulder, and said, trying to com¬ 
fort her, ‘‘ There, there, don’t take it to heart so 
much; keep up your spirits, that is the great thing! 
She has nearly made a hole in my head, but don’t you 
let her bully you.” Then seeing that Heidi still did 
not stir, We must go; she ordered me to take you 
in. 

Heidi now began mounting the stairs, but with a 
slow, crawling step, very unlike her usual manner. 


132 


HEIDI 


Sebastian felt quite sad as he watched her, and as he 
followed her up he kept trying to encourage her. 
“ Don’t you give in! don’t let her make you unhappy! 
You keep up your courage! Why we’ve got such a 
sensible little miss that she has never cried once since 
she was here; many at that age cry a good dozen 
times a day. The kittens are enjoying themselves 
very much up in their home; tliey jump about all 
over the place and behave as if they were little mad 
things. Later we will go up and see them, when 
Fraulein is out of the way, shall we? ” 

Heidi gave a little nod of assent, but in such a joy¬ 
less manner that it went to Sebastian’s heart, and he 
followed her with sympathetic eyes as she crept 
away to her room. 

At supper that evening Fraulein Rottenmeier did 
not speak, but she cast watchful looks towards Heidi 
as if expecting her at any minute to break out in some 
extraordinary way; but Heidi sat without moving 
or eating; all that she did was to hastily hide her roll 
in her pocket. 

When the tutor arrived next morning, Fraulein 
Rottenmeier drew him privately aside, and confided 
her fear to him that the change of air and the new 
mode of life and unaccustomed surroundings had 
turned Heidi’s head; then she told him of the incident 
of the day before, and of Heidi’s strange speech. But 
the tutor assured her she need not be in alarm; he 
had already become aware that the child was some¬ 
what eccentric, but otherwise quite right in her mind, 
and he was sure that, with careful treatment and edu- 


GREAT COMMOTION 


133 


cation, the right balance would be restored, and it was 
this he was striving after. He was the more con¬ 
vinced of this by what he now heard, and by the fact 
that he had so far failed to teach her the alphabet, 
Heidi seeming unable to understand the letters. 

Fraulein Rottenmeier was considerably relieved by 
his words, and released the tutor to his work. In 
the course of the afternoon the remembrance of 
Heidi’s appearance the day before, as she was start¬ 
ing out on her travels, suddenly returned to the lady, 
and she made up her mind that she would supplement 
the child’s clothing with various garments from 
Clara’s wardrobe, so as to give her a decent appear¬ 
ance when Herr Sesemann returned. She confided 
her intention to Clara, who was quite willing to make 
over any number of dresses and hats to Heidi; so 
the lady went upstairs to overhaul the child’s belong¬ 
ings and see what was to be kept and what thrown 
away. She returned, however, in the course of a few 
minutes with an expression of horror upon her face. 

“ What is this, Adelaide, that I find in your ward¬ 
robe ! ” she exclaimed. ‘‘ I never heard of any one 
doing such a thing before! In a cupboard meant for 
clothes, Adelaide, what do I see at the bottom but a 
heap of rolls! Will you believe it, Clara, bread in 
a wardrobe! a whole pile of bread! Tinette,” she 
called to that young woman, who was in the dining¬ 
room, “ go upstairs and take away all those rolls out 
of Adelaide’s cupboard and the old straw hat on the 
table.” 

*‘No! no!” screamed Heidi. “I must keep the 


134 


HEIDI 


hat, and the rolls are for grandmother,” and she was 
rushing to stop Tinette when Fraulein Rottenmeier 
took hold of her. “ You will stop here, and all that 
bread and rubbish shall be taken to the place they 
belong to,” she said in a determined tone as she kept 
her hand on the child to prevent her running for¬ 
ward. 

Then Heidi in despair flung herself down on Clara’s 
couch and broke into a wild fit of weeping, her cry¬ 
ing becoming louder and more full of distress, every 
minute, while she kept on sobbing out at intervals, 
“ Now grandmother’s’ bread is all gone! They were 
all for grandmother, and now they are taken away, 
and grandmother won’t have one,” and she wept as 
if her heart would break. Fraulein Rottenmeier ran 
out of the room. Clara was distressed and alarmed 
at the child’s crying. “ Heidi, Heidi,” she said im¬ 
ploringly, “pray do not cry so! listen to me; don’t 
be so unhappy; look now, I promise you that you 
shall have just as many rolls, or more, all fresh and 
new to take to grandmother when you go home; 
yours would have been hard and stale by then. 
Come, Heidi, do not cry any more! ” 

Heidi could not get over her sobs for a long time; 
she would never have been able to leave off crying 
at all if it had not been for Clara’s** promise, which 
comforted her. But to make sure that she could 
depend upon it she kept on saying to Clara, her voice 
broken with her gradually subsiding sobs, “ Will you 
give me as many, quite as many, as I had, for grand¬ 
mother? ” And Clara assured her each time that she 


GREAT COMMOTION 135 

would give her as many, ‘‘ or more,” she added, “ only 
be happy again.” 

Heidi appeared at supper with her eyes red with 
weeping, and when she saw her roll she could not 
suppress a sob. But she made an effort to control 
herself, for she knew she must sit quietly at table. 
Whenever Sebastian could catch her eye this evening 
he made all sorts of strange signs, pointing to his 
own head and then to hers, and giving little nods as 
much as to say, “ Don’t you be unhappy! I have 
got it all safe for you.” 

When Heidi was going to get into bed that night 
she found her old straw hat lying under the counter¬ 
pane. She snatched it up with delight, made it more 
out of shape still in her joy, and then, after wrapping 
a handkerchief round it, she stuck it in a corner of the 
cupboard as far back as she could. 

It was Sebastian who had hidden it there for her; 
he had been in the dining-room when Tinette was 
called, and had heard all that went on with the child 
and the latter’s loud weeping. So he followed 
Tinette, and when she came out of Heidi’s room 
carrying the rolls and the hat, he caught up the hat 
and said, “ I will see to this old thing.” He was 
genuinely glad to have been able to save it for Heidi, 
and that was the meaning of his encouraging signs 
to her at supper. 


,1 


j 



A FEW days after these events there was 
great commotion and much running up and 
down stairs in Herr Sesemann’s house. The 
master had just returned, and Sebastian and Tinette 
were busy carrying up one package after another 
from the carriage, for Herr Sesemann always brought 
back a lot of pretty things for his home. He him¬ 
self had not waited to do anything before going in 
to see his daughter. Heidi was sitting beside her, 
for it was late afternoon, when the two were always 
together. Father and daughter greeted each other 
with warm affection, for they were deeply attached 
to one another. Then he held out his hand to Heidi, 
who had stolen away into the corner, and said kindly 
to her, “ And this is our little Swiss girl; come and 
shake hands with me! That’s right! Now, tell me, 
are Clara and you good friends with one another, 
or do you get angry and quarrel, and then cry and 
make it up, and then start quarreling again on the 
next occasion? ” 

“ No, Clara is always kind to me,” answered Heidi. 
“ And Heidi,” put in Clara quickly, “ has not once 
tried to quarrel.” 

“That’s all right, I am glad to hear it,” said her 

136 










SESEMANN’S RETURN 137 

father, as he rose from his chair. ‘‘ But you must 
excuse me, Clara, for I want my dinner; I have had 
nothing to eat all day. Afterwards I will show you 
all the things I have brought home with me.” 

He found Fraulein Rottenmeier in the dining-room 
superintending the preparation for his meal, and when 
he had taken his place she sat down opposite to him, 
looking the every embodiment of bad news, so that 
he turned to her and said, “ What am I to expect, 
Fraulein Rottenmeier? You greet me with an ex¬ 
pression of countenance that quite frightens me. 
What is the matter? Clara seems cheerful enough.” 

“ Herr Sesemann,” began the lady in a solemn 
voice, “ it is a matter which concerns Clara; we have 
been frightfully imposed upon.” 

“Indeed, in what way?” asked Herr Sesemann 
as he went on calmly drinking his wine. 

“ We had decided, as you remember, to get a com¬ 
panion for Clara, and as I knew hov/ anxious you were 
to have only those who were well-behaved and nicely 
brought up about her, I thought I would look for a 
little Swiss girl, as I hoped to find such a one as I 
have often read about, who, born as it were of the 
mountain air, lives and moves without touching the 
earth.” 

“ Still I think even a Swiss child would have to 
touch the earth if she wanted to go anywhere,” re¬ 
marked Herr Sesemann, “ otherwise they would have 
been given wings instead of feet.” 

“ Ah, Herr Sesemann, you know what I mean,” 
continued Fraulein Rottenmeier. “ I mean one so 


HEIDI 


138 

at home among the living creatures of the high, pure 
mountain regions, that she would be like some ideal¬ 
istic being from another world among us.” 

‘‘ And what could Clara do with such an idealistic 
being as you describe, Fraulein Rottenmeier? ” 

“ I am not joking, Herr Sesemann, the matter is a 
more serious one than you think; I have been shock¬ 
ingly, disgracefully imposed upon.” 

“ But how? what is there shocking and disgraceful? 
I see nothing shocking in the child,” remarked Herr 
Sesemann quietly. 

“ If you only knew of one thing she has done, if you 
only knew of the kind of people and animals she has 
brought into the house during your absence! The 
tutor can tell you more about that.” 

“Animals? what am I to understand by animals, 
Fraulein Rottenmeier? ” 

“ It is past understanding; the whole behavior of 
the child would be past understanding, if it were not 
that at times she is evidently not in her right 
mind.” 

Herr Sesemann had attached very little importance 
to what was told him up till now — but not in her 
right mind! that was more serious and might be 
prejudicial to his own child. Herr Sesemann looked 
very narrowly at the lady opposite to assure himself 
that the mental aberration was not on her side. At 
that moment the door opened and the tutor was an¬ 
nounced. 

“ Ah! here is some one,” exclaimed Herr Sese¬ 
mann, “who will help to clear up matters for me. 


SESEMANN’S RETURN 139 

Take a seat,” he continued, as he held out his hand 
to the tutor. “ You will drink a cup of coffee with 
me — no ceremony, I pray! And now tell me, what 
is the matter with this child that has come to be a 
companion to my daughter? What is this strange 
thing I hear about her bringing animals into the 
house, and is she in her right senses? ” 

The tutor felt he must begin with expressing his 
pleasure at Herr Sesemann’s return, and with explain¬ 
ing that he had come in on purpose to give him wel¬ 
come, but Herr Sesemann begged him to explain 
without delay the meaning of all he had heard about 
Heidi. The tutor started in his usual style. “If I 
must give my opinion about this little girl, I should 
like first to state that, if on one side, there is a lack 
of development which has been caused by the more 
or less careless way in which she has been brought 
up, or rather, by the neglect of her education when 
young, and by the solitary life she has led on the 
mountain, which is not wholly to be condemned; on 
the contrary, such a life has undoubtedly some ad¬ 
vantages in it, if not allowed to overstep a certain 
limit of time —” 

“ My good friend,” interrupted Herr Sesemann, 
“ you are giving yourself more trouble than you need. 
I only want to know if the child has caused you alarm 
by any animals she has brought into the house, and 
what your opinion is altogether as to her being a fit 
companion or not for my daughter? ” 

“ I should not like in any way to prejudice you 
against her,” began the tutor once more; “ for if on 


140 


HEIDI 


the one hand there is a certain inexperience of the 
ways of society, owing to the uncivilised life she led 
up to the time of her removal to Frankfurt, on the 
other hand she is endowed with certain good qualities, 
and, taken on the whole —” 

“ Excuse me, my dear sir, do not disturb yourself, 
but I must — I think my daughter will be wanting 
me,” and with that Herr Sesemann quickly left the 
room and took care not to return. He sat himself 
down beside his daughter in the study, and then turn¬ 
ing to Heidi, who had risen, “ Little one, will you 
fetch me,” he began, and then paused, for he could 
not think what to ask for, but he wanted to get the 
child out of the room for a little while, fetch me — 
fetch me a glass of water.” 

‘‘ Fresh water? ” asked Heidi. 

“Yes — yes — as fresh as you can get it,” he an¬ 
swered. Heidi disappeared on the spot. 

“ And now, my dear little Clara,” he said, drawing 
his chair nearer and laying her hand in his, “ answer 
my questions clearly and intelligibly: what kind of 
animals has your little companion brought into the 
house, and why does Fraulein Rottenmeier think that 
she is not always in her right mind? ” 

Clara had no difficulty in answering. The alarmed 
lady had spoken to her also about Heidi’s wild 
manner of talking, but Clara had not been able to 
put a meaning to it. She told her father everything 
about the tortoise and the kittens, and explained to 
him what Heidi had said the day Fraulein Rotten¬ 
meier had been put in such a fright. Herr Sesemann 


SESEMANN’S RETURN 141 

laughed heartily at her recitaL “So you do not 
want me to send the child home again,” he asked, 
“ you are not tired of having her here ? ” 

“ Oh, no, no,” Clara exclaimed, “ please do not 
send her away. Time has passed much more quickly 
since Heidi was here, for something fresh happens 
every day, and it used to be so dull, and she has al¬ 
ways so much to tell me.” 

“That’s all right then — and here comes your 
little friend. Have you brought me some nice fresh 
water?” he asked as Heidi handed him a glass. 

“ Yes, fresh from the pump,” answered Heidi. 

“You did not go yourself to the pump?” said 
Clara. 

“Yes I did; it is quite fresh. I had to go a long 
way, for there were such a lot of people at the first 
pump; so I went further down the street, but there 
were just as many at the second pump, but I was 
able to get some water at the one in the next street, 
and the gentleman with the white hair asked me to 
give his kind regards to Herr Sesemann.” 

“ You have had quite a successful expedition,” said 
Herr Sesemann laughing, “ and who was the gentle¬ 
man? ” 

“ He was passing, and when he saw me he stood 
still and said, ‘ As you have a glass will you give me 
a drink; to whom are you taking the water?’ and 
when I said, ‘To Herr Sesemann,* he laughed very 
much, and then he gave me that message for you, 
and also said he hoped you would enjoy the water.” 

“ Oh, and who was it, I wonder, who sent me such 


142 HEIDI 

good wishes — tell me what he was like,” said Herr 
Sesemann. 

“ He was kind and laughed, and he had a thick 
gold chain and a gold thing hanging from it with a 
large red stone, and a horse’s head at the top of his 
stick.” 

“ It’s the doctor — my old friend the doctor,” ex¬ 
claimed Clara and her father at the same moment, 
and Herr Sesemann smiled to himself at the thought 
of what his friend’s opinion must have been of this 
new way of satisfying his thirst for water. 

That evening when Herr Sesemann and Fraulein 
Rottenmeier were alone, settling the household af¬ 
fairs, he informed her that he intended to keep Heidi; 
he found the child in a perfectly right state of mind, 
and his daughter liked her as a companion. ‘‘ I de¬ 
sire, therefore,” he continued, laying stress upon his 
words, “ that the child shall be in every way kindly 
treated, and that her peculiarities shall not be looked 
upon as crimes. If you find her too much for you 
alone, I can hold out a prospect of help, for I am 
shortly expecting my mother here on a long visit, 
and she, as you know, can get on with anybody, what¬ 
ever they may be like.” 

‘‘ O yes, I know,” replied Fraulein Rottenmeier, 
but there was no tone of relief in her voice as she 
thought of the coming help. 

Herr Sesemann was only home for a short time; he 
left for Paris again before the fortnight was over, 
comforting Clara, who could not bear that he should 
go from her again so soon, with the prospect of her 


SESEMANN’S RETURN 143 

grandmother’s arrival, which was to take place in a 
few days’ time. Herr Sesemann had indeed only just 
gone when a letter came from Frau Sesemann, an¬ 
nouncing her arrival on the following day, and stating 
the hour when she might be expected, in order that 
a carriage should be sent to meet her at the station. 
Clara was overjoyed, and talked so much about her 
grandmother that evening, that Heidi began also to 
call her “ grandmamma,” which brought down on 
her a look of displeasure from Fraulein Rottenmeier; 
this, however, had no particular effect on Heidi, for 
she was accustomed now to being continually in that 
lady’s black books. But as she was going to her 
room that night, Fraulein Rottenmeier waylaid her, 
and drawing her into her own, gave her strict in¬ 
junctions as to how she was to address Frau Sese¬ 
mann when she arrived; on no account was she to call 
her “ grandmamma,” but always to say “ madam ” 
to her. “ Do you understand? ” said the lady, as she 
saw a perplexed expression on Heidi’s face. The 
latter had not understood, but seeing the severe ex¬ 
pression of the lady’s face she did not ask for more 
explanation. 



t ta ’^HERE was much expectation and prepara- 
i tion about the house on the following even- 
ing, and it was easy to see that the lady who 
was coming was one whose opinion was highly 
thought of, and for whom everybody had a great 
respect. Tinette had a new white cap on her head, 
and Sebastian collected all the footstools he could 
find and placed them in convenient spots, so that the 
lady might find one ready to her feet whenever she 
chose to sit. Fraulein Rottenmeier went about sur¬ 
veying everything, very upright and dignified, as if 
to show that though a rival power was expected, her 
own authority was not going to be extinguished. 

And now the carriage came driving up to the door, 
and Tinette and Sebastian ran down the steps, fol¬ 
lowed with a slower and more stately step by the 
lady, who advanced to greet the guest. Heidi had 
been sent up to her room and ordered to remain there 
until called down, as the grandmother would cer¬ 
tainly like to see Clara alone first. Heidi sat her¬ 
self down in a corner and repeated her instructions 
over to herself. She had not to wait long before 
Tinette put her head in and said abruptly, “ Go down¬ 
stairs into the study.” 


144 




ANOTHER GRANDMOTHER 145 

Heidi had not dared to ask Fraulein Rottenmeier 
again how she was to address the grandmother: she 
thought the lady had perhaps made a mistake, for she 
had never heard any one called by other than their 
right name. As she opened the study door she heard 
a kind voice say, “ Ah, here comes the child! Come 
along in and let me have a good look at you.” 

Heidi walked up to her and said very distinctly in 
her clear voice, “ Good-evening,” and then wishing 
to follow her instructions called her what would be in 
English “ Mrs. Madam.” 

“ Well! ” said the grandmother, laughing, “ is that 
how they address people in your home on the 
mountain? ” 

No,” replied Heidi gravely, “ I never knew any 
one with that name before.” 

“ Nor I either,” laughed the grandmother again as 
she patted Heidi’s cheek. “ Never mind! when I am 
with the children I am always grandmamma; you 
won’t forget that name, will you? ” 

‘‘ No, no,” Heidi assured her, ** I often used to say 
it at home.” 

“ I understand,” said the grandmother, with a 
cheerful little nod of the head. Then she looked 
more closely at Heidi, giving another nod from time 
to time, and the child looked back at her with steady, 
serious eyes, for there was something kind and warm¬ 
hearted about this new-comer that pleased Heidi, and 
indeed everything to do with the grandmother at¬ 
tracted her, so that she could not turn her eyes away. 
She had such beautiful white hair, and two long lace 


HEIDI 


146 

ends hung down from the cap on her head and waved 
gently about her face every time she moved, as if a 
soft breeze were blowing round her, which gave Heidi 
a peculiar feeling of pleasure. 

‘‘ And what is your name, child ? the grandmother 
now asked. 

“ I am always called Heidi; but as I am now to be 
called Adelaide, I will try and take care —” Heidi 
stopped short, for she felt a little guilty; she had not 
yet grown accustomed to this name; she continued 
not to respond when Fraulein Rottenmeier suddenly 
addressed her by it, and the lady was at this moment 
entering the room. 

“ Frau Sesemann will no doubt agree with me,” 
she interrupted, “ that it was necessary to choose 
a name that could be pronounced easily, if only for 
the sake of the servants.” 

“ My worthy Rottenmeier,” replied Frau Sese¬ 
mann, “ if a person is called ‘ Heidi ’ and has grown 
accustomed to that name, I call her by the same, and 
so let it be.” 

Fraulein Rottenmeier was always very much an¬ 
noyed that the old lady continually addressed her by 
her surname only; but it was no use minding, for 
the grandmother always went her own way, and so 
there was no help for it. Moreover the grandmother 
was a keen old lady, and had all her five wits about 
her, and she knew what was going on in the house 
as soon as she entered it. 

When on the following day Clara lay down as usual 
on her couch after dinner, the grandmother sat'down 


ANOTHER GRANDMOTHER 147 

beside her for a few minutes and closed her eyes, then 
she got up again as lively as ever, and trotted off into 
the dining-room. No one was there. “ She is 
asleep, I suppose,” she said to herself, and then go¬ 
ing up to Fraulein Rottenmeier’s room she gave a 
loud knock at the door. She waited a few minutes 
and then Fraulein Rottenmeier opened the door and 
drew back in surprise at this unexpected visit. 

“ Where is the child, and what is she doing all this 
time? That is what I came to ask,” said Frau Sese- 
mann. 

“ She is sitting in her room, where she could well 
employ herself if she had the least idea of making 
herself useful; but you have no idea, Frau Sesemann, 
of the out-of-the-way things this child imagines and 
does, things which I could hardly repeat in good 
society.” 

“ I should do the same if I had to sit in there like 
that child, I can tell you; I doubt if you would then 
like to repeat what I did, in good society! Go and 
fetch the child and bring her to my room; I have 
some pretty books with me that I should like to give 
her.” 

“ That is just the misfortune,” said FrMein Rot¬ 
tenmeier with a despairing gesture, “ what use are 
books to her? She has not been able to learn her 
ABC even, all the long time she has been here; it 
is quite impossible to get the least idea of it into her 
head, and that the tutor himself will tell you; if he 
had not the patience of an angel he would have given 
up teaching her long ago.” 


HEIDI 


148 

“That is very strange,” said Frau Sesemann, “she 
does not look to me like a child who would be unable 
to learn her alphabet. However, bring her now to 
me, she can at least amuse herself with the pictures 
in the books.” 

Fraulein Rottenmeier was prepared with some 
further remarks, but the grandmother had turned 
away and gone quickly towards her own room. She 
was surprised at what she had been told about Heidi’s 
incapacity for learning, and determined to find out 
more concerning this matter, not by inquiries from 
the tutor, however, although she esteemed him highly 
for his uprightness of character; she had always a 
friendly greeting for him, but always avoided being 
drawn into conversation with him, for she found his 
style of talk somewhat wearisome. 

Heidi now appeared and gazed with open-eyed 
delight and wonder at the beautiful colored pictures 
in the books which the grandmother gave her to look 
at. All of a sudden, as the latter turned over one of 
the pages to a fresh picture, the child gave a cry. 
For a moment or two she looked at it with bright¬ 
ening eyes, then the tears began to fall, and at last 
she burst into sobs. The grandmother looked at the 
picture — it represented a green pasture, full of 
young animals, some grazing and others nibbling at 
the shrubs. In the middle was a shepherd leaning 
upon his staff and looking on at his happy flock. The 
whole scene was bathed in golden light, for the sun 
was just sinking below the horizon. 

The grandmother laid her hand kindly on Heidi’s. 


ANOTHER GRANDMOTHER 149 

“ Don’t cry, dear child, don’t cry,” she said, “ the 
picture has reminded you perhaps of something. But 
see, there is a beautiful tale to the picture which I 
will tell you this evening. And there are other nice 
tales of all kinds to read and to tell again. But now 
we must have a little talk together, so dry your tears 
and come and stand in front of me, so that I may see 
you well — there, now we are happy again.” 

But it was some little time before Heidi could over¬ 
come her sobs. The grandmother gave her time to 
recover herself, saying cheering words to her now 
and then, “ There, it’s all right now, and we are quite 
happy again.” 

When at last she saw that Heidi was growing 
calmer, she said, “ Nov/ I want you to tell me some¬ 
thing. How are you getting on in your school-time; 
do you like your lessons, and have you learnt a great 
deal?” 

“ O no! ” replied Heidi, sighing, “ but I knew be¬ 
forehand that it was not possible to learn.” 

“ What is it you think impossible to learn? ” 

‘‘ Why, to read, it is too difficult.” 

“ You don’t say so! and who told you that? ” 

“ Peter told me, and he knew all about it, 
for he had tried and tried and could not learn 
it.” 

“ Peter must be a very odd boy then! But listen, 
Heidi, we must not always go by what Peter says, we 
must try for ourselves. I am certain that you did 
not give all your attention to the tutor when he was 
trying to teach you your letters.” 


150 


HEIDI 


“ It’s of no use,” said Heidi in the tone of one who 
was ready to endure what could not be cured. 

“ Listen to what I have to say,” continued the 
grandmother. “You have not been able to learn 
your alphabet because you believed what Peter said; 
but now you must believe what I tell you — and I 
tell you that you can learn to read in a very little 
while, as many other children do, who are made like 
you and not like Peter. And now hear what comes 
after — you see that picture with the shepherd and 
the animals — well, as soon as you are able to read 
you shall have that book for your own, and then you 
will know all about the sheep and the goats, and 
what the shepherd did, and the wonderful things that 
happened to him, just as if some one were telling you 
the whole tale. You will like to hear about all that, 
won’t you? ” 

Heidi had listened with eager attention to the 
grandmother’s words and now with a sigh exclaimed, 
“ Oh, if only I could read now! ” 

“ It won’t take you long now to learn, that I can 
see; and now we must go down to Clara; bring the 
books with you.” And hand in hand the two re¬ 
turned to the study.” 

Since the day when Heidi had so longed to go 
home, and Fraulein Rottenmeier had met her and 
scolded her on the steps, and told her how wicked 
and ungrateful she was to try and run away, and 
what a good thing it was that Herr Sesemann knew 
nothing about it, a change had come over the child. 
She had at last understood that day that she could 


ANOTHER GRANDMOTHER 151 

not go home when she wished as Dete had told her, 
but that she would have to stay on in Frankfurt for 
a long, long time, perhaps for ever. She had also 
understood that Herr Sesemann would think it un¬ 
grateful of her if she wished to leave, and she believed 
that the grandmother and Clara would think the 
same. So there was nobody to whom she dared con¬ 
fide her longing to go home, for she would not for 
the world have given the grandmother, who was so 
kind to her, any reason for being as angry with her as 
Fraulein Rottenmeier had been. But the weight of 
trouble on the little heart grew heavier and heavier; 
she could no longer eat her food, and every day she 
grew a little paler. She lay awake for long hours 
at night, for as soon as she was alone and everything 
was still around her, the picture of the mountain with 
its sunshine and flowers rose vividly before her eyes; 
and when at last she fell asleep it was to dream of 
the rocks and the snow-field turning crimson in the 
evening light, and waking in the morning she would 
think herself back at the hut and prepare to run joy¬ 
fully out into the sun — and then — there was her 
large bed, and here she was in Frankfurt far, far 
away from home. And Heidi would often lay her 
face down on the pillow and weep long and quietly 
so that no one might hear her. 

Heidi’s unhappiness did not escape the grand¬ 
mother’s notice. She let some days go by to see 
if the child grew brighter and lost her down-cast 
appearance. But as matters did not mend, and she 
saw that many mornings Heidi had evidently-been 


152 


HEIDI 


crying before she came downstairs, she took her again 
into her room one day, and drawing the child to her 
said, “Now tell me, Heidi, what is the matter; are 
you in trouble? ’’ 

But Heidi, afraid if she told the truth that the 
grandmother would think her ungrateful, and would 
then leave off being so kind to her, answered, “ I can’t 
tell you.” 

“Well, could you tell Clara about it?” 

“ Oh, no, I cannot tell any one,” said Heidi in so 

/ 

positive a tone, and with a look of such trouble on 
her face, that the grandmother felt full of pity for 
the child. 

“ Then, dear child, let me tell you what to do: you 
know that when we are in great trouble, and cannot 
speak about it to anybody, we must turn to God and 
pray Him to help, for He can deliver us from every 
care that oppresses us. You understand that, do you 
not? You say your prayers every evening to the 
dear God in Heaven, and thank Him for all He has 
done for you, and pray Him to keep you from all 
evil, do you not? ” 

“ No, I never say any prayers,” answered Heidi. 

“ Have you never been taught to pray, Heidi; do 
you not know even what it means? ” 

“ I used to say prayers with the first grandmother, 
but that is a long time ago, and I have forgotten 
them.” 

“ That is the reason, Heidi, that you are so un- 
happy, because you know no one who can help you. 
Think what a comfort it is when the heart is heavy 


ANOTHER GRANDMOTHER 153 

with grief to be able at any moment to go and tell 
everything to God, and pray Him for the help that 
no one else can give us. And He can help us 
and give us everything that will make us happy 
again.” 

A sudden gleam of joy came into Heidi’s eyes. 
‘‘ May I tell Him everything, everything? ” 

” Yes, everything, Heidi, everything.” 

Heidi drew her hand away, which the grandmother 
was holding affectionately between her own, and 
said quickly, “ May I go ? ” 

“ Yes, of course,” was the answer, and Heidi ran 
out of the room into her own, and sitting herself on a 
stool, folded her hands together and told God about 
everything that was making her so sad and unhappy, 
and begged Him earnestly to help her and to let her 
go home to her grandfather. 

It was about a week after this that the tutor asked 
Frau Sesemann’s permission for an interview with 
her, as he wished to inform her of a remarkable 
thing that had come to pass. So she invited him to 
her room, and as he entered she held out her hand 
in greeting, and pushing a chair towards him, ” I am 
pleased to see you,” she said, “ pray sit down and tell 
me what brings you here; nothing bad, no complaints, 
I hope?” 

“ Quite the reverse,” began the tutor. “ Some¬ 
thing has happened that I had given up hoping for, 
and which no one, knowing what has gone before, 
could have guessed, for, according to all expectations, 
that which has taken place could only be looked'upon 


154 


HEIDI 


as a miracle, and yet it really has come to pass and 
in the most extraordinary manner, quite contrary to 
all that one could anticipate—’’ 

“ Has the child Heidi really learnt to read at last? ” 
put in Frau Sesemann. 

The tutor looked at the lady in speechless astonish¬ 
ment. At last he spoke again. “ It is indeed truly 
marvellous, not only because she never seemed able 
to learn her ABC even after all my full ex¬ 
planations, and after spending unusual pains upon 
her, but because now she has learnt it so rapidly, 
just after I had made up my mind to make no further 
attempts at the impossible but to put the letters as 
they were before her without any dissertation on 
their origin and meaning, and now she has as you 
might say learnt her letters over night, and started 
at once to read correctly, quite unlike most beginners. 
And it is almost as astonishing to me that you should 
have guessed such an unlikely thing.” 

“ Many unlikely things happen in life,” said Frau 
Sesemann with a pleased smile. “ Two things com¬ 
ing together may produce a happy result, as for 
instance, a fresh zeal for learning and a new method 
of teaching, and neither does any harm. We can 
but rejoice that the child has made such a good start 
and hope for her future progress.” 

After parting with the tutor she went down to the 
study to make sure of the good news. There sure 
enough was Heidi, sitting beside Clara and reading 
aloud to her, evidently herself very much surprised, 
and growing more and more delighted with the new 


ANOTHER GRANDMOTHER 155 

world that was now open to her as the black letters 
grew alive and turned into men and things and excit¬ 
ing stories. That same evening Heidi found the large 
book with the beautiful pictures lying on her plate 
when she took her place at table, and when she looked 
questioningly at the grandmother, the latter nodded 
kindly to her and said, “ Yes, it’s yours now.” 

“ Mine, to keep always? even when I go home? ” 
said Heidi, blushing with pleasure. 

‘‘ Yes, of course, yours for ever,” the grandmother 
assured her. “ To-morrow we will begin to read 
it.” 

“ But you are not going home yet, Heidi, not for 
years,” put in Clara. “ When grandmother goes 
away, I shall want you to stay on with me.” 

When Heidi went to her room that night she had 
another look at her book before going to bed, and 
from that day forth her chief pleasure was to read 
the tales which belonged to the beautiful pictures 
over and over again. If the grandmother said, as 
they were sitting together in the evening, “ Now 
Heidi will read aloud to us,” Heidi was delighted, 
for reading was no trouble to her now, and when 
she read the tales aloud the scenes seemed to grow 
more beautiful and distinct, and then grandmother 
would explain and tell her more about them still. 

Still the picture she liked best was the one of the 
shepherd leaning on his staff with his flock around 
him in the midst of the green pasture, for he was 
now at home and happy, following his father’s sheep 
and goats. Then came the picture where he was seen 


far away from his father’s house, obliged to look after 
the swine, and he had grown pale and thin from the 
husks which were all he had to eat. Even the sun 
seemed here to be less bright and everything looked 
grey and misty. But there was the third picture still 
to this tale: here was the old father with outstretched 
arms running to meet and embrace his returning and 
repentant son, who was advancing timidly, worn out 
and emaciated and clad in a ragged coat. That was 
Heidi’s favorite tale, which she read over and over 
again, aloud and to herself, and she was never tired 
of hearing the grandmother explain it to her and 
Clara. But there were other tales in the book be¬ 
sides, and what with reading and looking at the 
pictures the days passed quickly av/ay, and the time 
drew near for the grandmother to return home. 



E very afternoon during her visit the grand¬ 
mother went and sat down for a few minutes 
beside Clara after dinner, when the latter 
was resting, and Fraulein Rottenmeier, probably for 
the same reason, had disappeared inside her room; 
but five minutes sufficed her, and then she was up 
again, and Heidi was sent for to her room, and there 
she would talk to the child and employ and amuse 
her in all sorts of ways. The grandmother had a lot 
of pretty dolls, and she showed Heidi how to make 
dresses and pinafores for them, so that Heidi learnt 
how to sew and to make all sorts of beautiful clothes 
for the little people out of a wonderful collection of 
pieces that grandmother had by her of every describ- 
able and lovely color. And then grandmother liked 
to hear her read aloud, and the oftener Heidi read 
her tales the fonder she grew of them. She entered 
into the lives of all the people she read about so that 
they became like dear friends to her, and it delighted 
her more and more to be with them. But still Heidi 
never looked really happy, and her bright eyes were 
no longer to be seen. It was the last week of the 
grandmother's visit. She called Heidi into her room 

as usual one day after dinner, and the child came 

157 


HEIDI 


158 

with her book under her arm. The grandmother 
called her to come close, and then laying the book 
aside, said, “ Now, child, tell me why you are not 
happy? Have you still the same trouble at heart? ” 

Heidi nodded in reply. 

‘‘ Have you told God about it? ” 

“ Yes.” 

‘‘And do you pray every day that He will make 
things right and that you may be happy again? ” 

“ No, I have left off praying.” 

“ Do not tell me that, Heidi! Why have you left 
off praying?” 

“ It is of no use, God does not listen,” Heidi went 
on in an agitated voice, “ and I can understand that 
when there are so many, many people in Frankfurt 
praying to Him every evening that He cannot attend 
to them all, and He certainly has not heard what 
I said to Him.” 

“And why are you so sure of that, Heidi?” 

“ Because I have prayed for the same thing every 
day for weeks, and yet God has not done what I 
asked.” 

“You are wrong, Heidi; you must not think of 
Him like that. God is a good father to us all, and 
knows better than we do what is good for us. If we 
ask Him for something that is not good for us. He 
does not give it, but something better still, if only 
we will continue to pray earnestly and do not run 
away and lose our trust in Him. God did not think 
what you have been praying for was good for you 
just now; but be sure He heard you, for He can hear 


GAINS AND LOSES 


159 


and see every one at the same time, because He is 
a God and not a human being like you and me. And 
because He thought it was better for you not to have 
at once what you wanted, He said to Himself: Yes, 
Heidi shall have what she asks for, but not until the 
right time comes, so that she may be quite happy. 
If I do what she wants now, and then one day she 
sees that it would have been better for her not to have 
had her own way, she will cry and say, ‘ If only God 
had not given me what I asked for! it is not so good as 
I expected! ’ And while God is watching over you, 
and looking to see if you will trust Him and go on 
praying to Him every day, and turn to Him for every¬ 
thing you want, you run away and leave off saying 
your prayers, and forget all about Him. And when 
God no longer hears the voice of one He knew among 
those who pray to Him, He lets that person go his 
own way, that he may learn how foolish he is. And 
then this one gets into trouble, and cries, ‘ Save me, 
God, for there is none other to help me,’ and God 
says, ‘ Why did you go from Me; I could not help 
you when you ran away.’ And you would not like 
to grieve God, would you Heidi, when He only wants 
to be kind to you? So will you not go and ask Him 
to forgive you, and continue to pray and to trust 
Him, for you may be sure that He will make every¬ 
thing right and happy for you, and then you will be 
glad and lighthearted again.” 

Heidi had perfect confidence in the grandmother, 
and every word she said sunk into her heart. 

“ I will go at once and ask God to forgive me, and 


i6o HEIDI 

I will never forget Him again,” she replied re^ 
pentantly. 

“ That is right, dear child,” and anxious to cheer 
her, added, ” Don’t be unhappy, for He will do every¬ 
thing you wish in good time.” 

And Heidi ran away and prayed that she might 
alw^ays remember God, and that He would go on 
thinking about her. 

The day came for grandmother’s departure — a sad 
one for Clara and Heidi. But the grandmother was 
determined to make it as much like a holiday as 
possible and not to let them mope, and she kept them 
so lively and amused that they had no time to think 
about their sorrow at her going until she really drove 
away. Then the house seemed so silent and empty 
that Heidi and Clara did not know what to do with 
themselves, and sat during the remainder of the day 
like two lost children. 

The next day, v/hen the hour cam.e for Clara and 
Heidi to be together, the latter walked in with her 
book and proposed that she should go on reading 
aloud every afternoon to Clara, if the latter liked 
it. Clara agreed, and thought anyhov/ it would be 
nice for that day, so Heidi began with her usual 
enthusiam. But the reading did not last long, for 
Heidi had hardly begun a tale about a dying grand¬ 
mother before she cried out, “ O! then grandmother 
is dead! ” and burst into tears; for everything she 
read was so real to her that she quite thought it 
was the grandmother at home who had died, and 
she kept on exclaiming as her sobs increased, “ She 


GAINS AND LOSES i6i 

is dead, and I shall never see her again, and she 
never had one of the white rolls! ” 

Clara did all she could to explain to Heidi that the 
story was about quite a different grandmother; but 
even when at last she had been able to convince Heidi 
of this, the latter continued to weep inconsolably, for 
now she had awakened to the thought that perhaps 
the grandmother, and even the grandfather also, 
might die while she was so far way, and that if she 
did not go home for a long time she would find every¬ 
thing there all silent and dead, and there she would 
be all alone, and would never be able to see the dear 
ones she loved any more. 

Fraulein Rottenmeier had meanwhile come into 
the room, and Clara explained to her what had hap¬ 
pened. As Heidi continued her weeping, the lady, 
who was evidently getting impatient with her, went 
up to Heidi and said with decision, “ Now, Adelaide, 
that is enough of all this causeless lamentation. I 
will tell you once for all, if there are any more scenes 
like this while you are reading, I shall take the book 
away from you and shall not let you have it again.’* 

Her words had immediate effect on Heidi, who 
turned pale with fear. The book was her one great 
treasure. She quickly dried her tears and swallowed 
her sobs as best she could, so that no further sound 
of them should be heard. The threat did its work, 
for Heidi never cried aloud again whatever she might 
be reading, but she had often to struggle hard to keep 
back her tears, so that Clara would look at her and 
say. 


i 62 


HEIDI 


“ What faces you are making, Heidi, I never saw 
anything like it! ” But the faces made no noise and 
did not offend Fraulein Rottenmeier, and Heidi, hav¬ 
ing overcome her fit of despairing misery, would go 
quietly on for a while, and no one perceived her 
sorrow. But she lost all her appetite, and looked so 
pale and thin that Sebastian was quite unhappy when 
he looked at her, and could not bear to see her re¬ 
fusing all the nice dishes he handed her. He would 
whisper to her sometimes, in quite a kind, fatherly 
manner, “Take a little; you don’t know how nice it 
is! There, a good spoonful, now another.” But it 
was of no use, Heidi hardly eat anything at all, and 
as soon as she laid her head down at night the picture 
of home would rise before her eyes, and she would 
weep, burying her face in the pillow that her crying 
might not be heard. 

And so many weeks passed away. Heidi did not 
know it is was winter or summer, for the walls and 
windows she looked out upon showed no change, and 
she never went beyond the house except on rare occa¬ 
sions when Clara was well enough to drive out, and 
then they only went a very little way, as Clara could 
not bear the movement for long. So that on these 
occasions they generally only saw more fine streets 
and large houses and crowds of people; they seldom 
got anywhere beyond them, and grass and flowers, 
fir trees and mountains, were still far away. Heidi’s 
longing for the old familiar and beautiful things grew 
daily stronger, so that now only to read a word that 
recalled them to her remembrance brought her to the 


GAINS AND LOSES 163 

verge of tears, which with diffculty she suppressed. 
So the autumn and winter passed, and again the sun 
came shining down on the white walls of the opposite 
houses, and Heidi would think to herself that now 
the time had come for Peter to go out again with the 
goats, to where the golden flowers of the cistus were 
glowing in the sunlight, and all the rocks around 
turned to fire at sunset. Heidi would go and sit in a 
comer of her lonely room and put her hands up to her 
eyes that she might not see the sun shining on the 
opposite wall; and then she would remain without 
moving, battling silently with her terrible home-sick¬ 
ness until Clara sent for her again. 



F or some days past Fraulein Rottenmeier had 
gone about rather silently and as if lost in 
thought. As twilight fell, and she passed from 
room to room, or along the long corridors, she was 
seen to look cautiously behind her, and into the dark 
corners, as if she thought some one was coming si¬ 
lently behind her and might unexpectedly give her 
dress a pull. Nor would she now go alone into some 
parts of the house. If she visited the upper floor 
where the grand guest-chambers were, or had to go 
down into the large mysterious council-chamber, 
where every footstep echoed, and the old senators 
with their big white collars looked down so solemnly 
and immovably from their frames, she regularly 
called Tinette to accompany her, in case, as she said, 
there might be something to carry up or down. 
Tinette on her side did exactly the same; if she had 
business upstairs or down, she called Sebastian to ac¬ 
company her, and there was always something he 
must help her with which she could not carry alone. 
More curious still, Sebastian, also, if sent into one of 
the more distant rooms, always called John to go 
with him in case he should want his assistance in 
bringing what was required. And John readily 

164 



A GHOST IN THE HOUSE 165 

obeyed, although there was never anything to carry, 
and either might well have gone alone; but he did 
not know how soon he might want to ask Sebastian 
to do the same service for him. And while these 
things were going on upstairs, the cook, who had 
been in the house for years, would stand shaking her 
head over her pots and kettles, and sighing, “ That 
ever I should live to know such a thing.’’ 

For something very strange and mysterious was 
going on in Herr Sesemann’s house. Every morning, 
when the servants went downstairs, they found the 
front door wide open, although nobody could be seen 
far or near to account for it. During the first few 
days that this happened every room and corner was 
searched in great alarm, to see if anything had been 
stolen, for the general idea was that a thief had been 
hiding in the house and had gone off in the night 
with the stolen goods; but not a thing in the house 
had been touched, everything was safe in its place. 
The door was doubly locked at night, and for further 
security the wooden bar was fastened across it; but 
it was no good — next morning the door again stood 
open. The servants in their fear and excitement got 
up extra early, but not so early but what the door 
had been opened before they got downstairs, al¬ 
though everything and everybody around were still 
wrapped in slumber, and the doors and windows of 
the adjoining houses all fast shut. At last, after a 
great deal of persuasion from Fraulein Rottenmeier, 
Sebastian and John plucked up courage and agreed to 
sit up one night in the room next to the large council- 


HEIDI 


i66 

chamber and to watch and see what would happen. 
Fraulein Rottenmeier looked up several weapons be¬ 
longing to the master, and gave these and a bottle 
of spirits to Sebastian, so that their courage might 
not faint if it came to a fight. 

On the appointed night the two sat down and 
began at once to take some of the strengthening 
cordial, which at first made them very talkative and 
then very sleepy, so that they leant back in their 
seats and became silent. As midnight struck, Sebas¬ 
tian roused himself and called to his companion, who, 
however, was not easy to wake, and kept rolling his 
head first to one side and then the other and continu¬ 
ing to sleep. Sebastian began to listen more atten¬ 
tively, for he was wide awake now. Everything was 
still as a mouse, all sound had died away from the 
streets even. He did not feel inclined to go to sleep 
again, for the stillness was ghostly to him, and he 
was afraid now to raise his voice to rouse John, so 
he shook him gently to make him stir. At last, as 
one struck, John work up, and came back to the con¬ 
sciousness of why he was sitting in a chair instead 
of lying in his bed. He now got up with a great show 
of courage and said, “ Come, Sebastian, we must go 
outside and see what is going on; you need not be 
afraid, just follow me.” 

Whereupon he opened the door wide and stepped 
into the hall. Just as he did so a sudden gust of air 
blew through the open front door and put out the 
light which John held in his hand. He started back, 
almost overturning Sebastian, whom he clutched and 


A GHOST IN THE HOUSE 167 

pulled back into the room, and then shutting the door 
quickly he turned the key as far as he could make 
it go. Then he pulled out his matches and lighted his 
candle again. Sebastian, in the suddenness of the 
affair, did not know exactly what had happened, for 
he had not seen the open door or felt the breeze be¬ 
hind John’s broad figure. But now, as he saw the 
latter in the light, he gave a cry of alarm, for John 
was trembling all over and as white as a ghost. 
“What’s the matter? What did you see outside?” 
asked Sebastian sympathetically. 

“ The door partly open,” gasped John, “ and a 
white figure standing at the top of the steps — there 
it stood, and then all in a minute it disappeared.” 

Sebastian felt his blood run cold. The two sat 
down close to one another and did not dare move 
again till the morning broke and the streets began 
to be alive again. Then they left the room together, 
shut the front door, and went upstairs to tell Fraulein 
Rottenmeier of their experience. She was quite 
ready to receive them, for she had not been able to 
sleep at all in the anxiety of waiting to hear their re¬ 
port. They had no sooner given her details of the 
night’s experience than she sat down and wrote 
straight off to Herr Sesemann, who had never re¬ 
ceived such a letter before in his life. She could 
hardly write, she told him, for her fingers were stiff- 
with fear, and Herr Sesemann must please arrange 
to come back at once, for dreadful and unaccount¬ 
able things were taking place at home. Then she 
entered into particulars of all that had happened, of 


i68 


HEIDI 


how the door was found standing open every morn¬ 
ing, and how nobody in the house now felt sure of 
their life in this unprotected state of things, and how 
it was impossible to tell what terrible results might- 
follow on these mysterious doings. 

Herr Sesemann answered that it was quite impos¬ 
sible for him to arrange to leave his business and re¬ 
turn home at once. He was very much astonished 
at this ghost tale, but hoped by this time the ghost 
had disappeared. If, however, it still continued to 
disturb the household, would Fraulein Rottenmeier 
write to the grandmother and ask her if she could 
come and do something; she, he was sure, would 
soon find out a way to deal v^^ith the ghost so that it 
would not venture again to haunt his house. Frau¬ 
lein Rottenmeier was not pleased vv^ith the tone of 
this letter; she did not think the matter was treated 
seriously enough. She wrote off without delay to 
Frau Sesemann, but got no more satisfactory reply 
from that quarter, and some remarks in the letter 
she considered were quite offensive. Frau Sese¬ 
mann wrote that she did not feel inclined to take the 
journey again from Holstein to Frankfurt because 
Rottenmeier fancied she saw ghosts. There had 
never been a ghost in the house since she had known 
it, and if there was one now it must be a live one, 
with which Rottenmeier ought to be able to deal; if 
not she had better send for the watchman to help 
her. 

Fraulein Rottenmeier, however, was determined 
not to pass any more days in a state of fear, and she 


A GHOST IN THE HOUSE 169 

knew the right course to pursue. She had as yet said 
nothing to the children of the ghostly apparitions, for 
she knew if she did that the children would not re¬ 
main alone for a single moment, and that might en¬ 
tail discomfort for herself. But now she walked 
straight off into the study, and there in a low 
mysterious voice told the two children everything 
that had taken place. Clara immediately screamed 
out that she could not remain another minute alone, 
her father must come home, and Fraulein Rotten- 
meier must sleep in her room at night, and Heidi 
too must not be left by herself, for the ghost might 
do something to her. She insisted that they should 
all sleep together in one room and keep a light burn¬ 
ing all night, and Tinette had better be in the next 
room, and Sebastian and John come upstairs and 
spend the night in the hall, so that they might call 
out and frighten the ghost the instant they saw it 
appear on the steps. Clara, in short, grew very ex¬ 
cited, and Fraulein Rottenmeier had great difficulty 
in quieting her. She promised to write at once to her 
father, and to have her bed put in her room and not 
to be left alone for a moment. They could not all 
sleep in the same room, but if Heidi was frightened, 
why Tinette must go into her room. But Heidi was 
far more frightened of Tinette than of ghosts, of 
which the child had never before heard, so she as- ' 
sured the others she did not mind the ghost, and 
would rather be alone at night. 

Fraulein Rottenmeier now sat down to write an¬ 
other letter to Herr Sesemann, stating that these un- 


HEIDI 


170 

accountable things that were going on in the house 
had so affected his daughter’s delicate constitution 
that the worst consequences might be expected. 
Epileptic fits and St. Vitus’s dance often came on 
suddenly in cases like this, and Clara was liable to be 
attacked by either if the cause of the general alarm 
was not removed. 

The letter was successful, and two days later Herr 
Sesemann stood at his front door and rang the bell 
in such a manner that everybody came rushing from 
all parts of the house and stood looking affrighted 
at everybody else, convinced that the ghost was 
impudently beginning its evil tricks in daylight. 
Sebastian peeped cautiously through a half-closed 
shutter; as he did so there came another violent ring 
at the bell, which it was impossible to mistake for 
anything but a very hard pull from a non-ghostly 
hand. And Sebastian recognised whose hand it was, 
and rushing pell-mell out of the room, fell heels over 
head downstairs, but picked himself up at the bottom 
and flung open the street door. Herr Sesemann 
greeted him abruptly and went up without a 
moment’s delay into his daughter’s room. Clara 
greeted him with a cry of joy, and seeing her so 
lively and apparently as well as ever, his face cleared, 
and the frown of anxiety passed gradually away from 
it as he heard from his daughter’s own lips that she 
had nothing the matter with her, and moreover was 
so delighted to see him that she was quite glad about 
the ghost, as it was the cause of bringing him home 
again. 


A GHOST IN THE HOUSE 171 

“And how is the ghost getting on? ” he asked, turn¬ 
ing to Fraulein Rottenmeier, with a twinkle of amuse¬ 
ment in his eye. 

“ It is no joke, I assure you,” replied that lady. 
“ You will not laugh yourself to-morrow morning, 
Herr Sesemann; what is going on in the house points 
to some terrible thing that has taken place in the 
past and been concealed.” 

“ Well, I know nothing about that,” said the master 
of the house, “ but I must beg you not to bring suspi¬ 
cion on my worthy ancestors. And now will you 
kindly call Sebastian into the dining-room, as I wish 
to speak to him alone.” 

Herr Sesemann had been quite aware that 
Sebastian and Fraulein Rottenmeier were not on 
the best of terms, and he had his ideas about this 
scare. 

“ Come here, lad,” he said as Sebastian appeared, 
“ and tell me frankly — have you been playing at 
ghosts to amuse yourself at Fraulein Rottenmeier’s 
expense?” 

“No, on my honor, sir; pray, do not think it; I 
am very uncomfortable about the matter myself,” 
answered Sebastian with unmistakable truthfulness. 

“ Well, if that is so, I will show you and John 
to-morrow morning how ghosts look in the daylight. 
You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Sebastian, a 
great strong lad like you, to run away from a ghost! 
But now go and take a message to my old friend the 
doctor; give him my kind regards, and ask him if he 
will come to me to-night at nine o’clock without fail; 


172 


HEIDI 


I have come by express from Paris to consult him. I 
shall want him to spend the night here, so bad a case 
is it; so he will arrange accordingly. You under¬ 
stand? ” 

“ Yes, sir,” replied Sebastian, “ I will see to the 
matter as you wish.” Then Herr Sesemann returned 
to Clara, and begged her to have no more fear, as he 
would soon find out all about the ghost and put an 
end to it. 

Punctually at nine o’clock, after the children had 
gone to bed and Fraulein Rottenmeier had retired, 
the doctor arrived. He was a grey-haired man 
with a fresh face, and two bright, kindly eyes. He 
looked anxious as he walked in, but, on catching 
sight of his patient, burst out laughing and clapped 
him on the shoulder. “Well,” he said, “you look 
pretty bad for a person that I am to sit up with all 
night.” 

“ Patience, friend,” answered Herr Sesemann, 
“ the one you have to sit up for will look a good 
deal worse when we have once caught him.” 

“ So there is a sick person in the house, and one 
that has first to be caught? ” 

“ Much worse than that, doctor! a ghost in the 
house! My house is haunted! ” 

The doctor laughed aloud. 

“ That’s a nice way of showing sympathy, doctor! ” 
continued Herr Sesemann. “ It’s a pity my friend 
Rottenmeier cannot hear you. She is firmly con¬ 
vinced that some old member of the family is wander- 


A GHOST IN THE HOUSE 173 

ing about the house doing penance for some awful 
crime he committed.” 

“How did she become acquainted with him?” 
asked the doctor, still very much amused. 

So Herr Sesemann recounted to him how the front 
door was nightly opened by somebody, according to 
the testimony of the combined household, and he had 
therefore provided two loaded revolvers, so as to be 
prepared for anything that happened; for either the 
whole thing was a joke got up by some friend of the 
servants, just to alarm the household while he was 
away — and in that case a pistol fired into the air 
would procure him a wholesome fright — or else it 
was a thief, who, by leading everybody at first to 
think there was a ghost, made it safe for himself when 
he came later to steal, as no one would venture to 
run out if they heard him, and in that case too a good 
weapon would not be amiss. 

The two took up their quarters for the night in the 
same room in which Sebastian and John had kept 
watch. A bottle of wine was placed on the table, for 
a little refreshment would be welcome from time to 
time if the night was to be passed sitting up. Beside 
it lay the two revolvers, and two good-sized candles 
had also been lighted, for Herr Sesemann was de¬ 
termined not to wait for ghosts in any half light. 

The door was shut close to prevent the light being, 
seen in the hall outside, which might frighten away 
the ghost. And now the two gentlemen sat comfort¬ 
ably back in the arm-chairs and began talking of all 


174 


HEIDI 


sorts of things, now and then pausing to take a good 
draught of wine, and so twelve o’clock struck before 
they were aware. 

“The ghost has got scent of us and is keeping 
away to-night,” said the doctor. 

“ Wait a bit, it does not generally appear before 
one o’clock,” answered his friend. 

They started talking again. One o’clock struck. 
There was not a sound about the house, nor in the 
street outside. Suddenly the doctor lifted his finger. 

“ Hush! Sesemann, don’t you hear something? ” 

They both listened, and th-^y distinctly heard the 
bar softly pushed aside and then the key turned in 
the lock and the door opened. Herr Sesemann put 
out his hand for his revolver. 

“ You are not afraid, are you? ” said the doctor as 
he stood up. 

“ It is better to take precautions,” whispered Herr 
Sesemann, and seizing one of the lights in his other 
hand, he followed the doctor, who, armed in like 
manner with a light and a revolver, went softly on 
in front. They stepped into the hall. The moon¬ 
light was shining in through the open door and fell 
on a white figure standing motionless in the door¬ 
way. 

“ Who is there? ” thundered the doctor in a voice 
that echoed through the hall, as the two men ad¬ 
vanced with lights and weapons towards the figure. 

It turned and gave a low cry. There in her little 
white nightgown stood Heidi, with bare feet, staring 
with wild eyes at the lights and the revolvers, and 


A GHOST IN THE HOUSE 175 

trembling from head to foot like a leaf in the wind. 
The two men looked at one another in surprise. 

“ Why, I believe it is your little water-carrier, Sese* 
mann,” said the doctor. 

“ Child, what does this mean? ’’ said Herr Sese- 
mann. “ What did you want? why did you come 
down here? ’’ 

White with terror, and hardly able to make her 
voice heard, Heidi answered, “ I don’t know.” 

But now the doctor stepped forward. “ This is a 
matter for me to see to, Sesemann; go back to your 
chair. I must take the child upstairs to her bed.” 

And with that he put down his revolver and gently 
taking the child by the hand led her upstairs. 
“ Don’t be frightened,” he said as they went up side 
by side, “ it’s nothing to be frightened about; it’s all 
right, only just go quietly.” 

On reaching Heidi’s room the doctor put the candle 
down on the table, and taking Heidi up in his arms 
laid her on the bed and carefully covered her over. 
Then he sat down beside her and waited until Heidi 
had grown quieter and no longer trembled so vio^ 
lently. He took her hand and said in a kind, sooth¬ 
ing voice, “ There, now you feel better, and now 
tell me where you were wanting to go to ? ” 

‘‘ I did not want to go anywhere,” said Heidi. “ I 
did not know I went downstairs, but all at once I was 
there.” 

“ I see, and had you been dreaming, so that you 
seemed to see and hear something very distinctly?” 

“ Yes, I dream every night, and always about the 


HEIDI 


176 

same things. I think I am back with the grandfather 
and I hear the sound in the fir trees outside, and I see 
the stars shining so brightly, and then I open the 
door quickly and run out, and it is all so beautiful! 
But when I wake I am still in Frankfurt.*’ And 
Heidi struggled as she spoke to keep back the sobs 
which seemed to choke her. 

‘‘ And have you no pain anywhere ? no pain in your 
head or back? ” 

‘‘ No, only a feeling as if there were a great stone 
weighing on me here.” 

“ As if you had eaten something that would not go 
down.”i 

“ No, not like that; something heavy as if I wanted 
to cry very much.” 

“ I see, and then do you have a good cry? ” 

“ Oh, no, I mustn’t; Fraulein Rottenmeier forbade 
me to cry.” 

“ So you swallow it all down, I suppose? Are you 
happy here in Frankfurt? ” 

“ Yes,” was the low answer; but it sounded more 
like “ No.” 

“ And where did you live with your grandfather? ” 

“ Up on the mountain.” 

‘‘ That wasn’t very amusing; rather dull at times, 
eh?” 

‘‘ No, no, it was beautiful, beautiful! ” Heidi could 
go no further; the remembrance of the past, the ex¬ 
citement she had just gone through, the long sup¬ 
pressed weeping, were too much for the child’s 


A GHOST IN THE HOUSE 177 

strength; the tears began to fall fast, and she broke 
into violent weeping. 

The doctor stood up and laid her head kindly down 
on the pillow. “ There, there, go on crying, it will 
do you good, and then go to sleep; it will be all right 
to-morrow.” 

Then he left the room and went downstairs to Herr 
Sesemann; when he was once more sitting in the arm¬ 
chair opposite his friend, “ Sesemann,” he said, “ let 
me first tell you that your little charge is a sleep¬ 
walker; she is the ghost who has nightly opened the 
front door and put your household into this fever oi 
alarm. Secondly, the child is consumed with home¬ 
sickness, to such an extent that she is nearly r 
skeleton already, and soon will be quite one; some' 
thing must be done at once. For the first trouble, 
due to her over-excited nerves, there is but one 
remedy, to send her back to her native mountain air; 
and for the second trouble there is also but one cure, 
and that the same. So to-morrow the child must 
start for home; there you have my prescription.” 

Herr Sesemann had arisen and now paced up and 
down the room in the greatest state of concern. 

“ What! ” he exclaimed, “ the child a sleep-walker 
and ill! Home-sick, and grown emaciated in my 
house! All this has taken place in my house and 
no one seen or known anything about it! And you 
mean, doctor, that the child who came here happy 
and healthy, I am to send back to her grandfather 
a miserable little skeleton? I can’t do it; you cannot 


HEIDI 


178 

dream of my doing such a thing! Take the child in 
hand, do with her what you will, and make her whole 
and sound, and then she shall go home; but you must 
do something first.” 

“ Sesemann,” replied the doctor, “ consider what 
you are doing! This illness of the child’s is not one 
to be cured with pills and powders. The child has 
not a tough constitution, but if you send her back 
at once she may recover in the mountain air, if not 
— you would rather she went back ill than not at 
all? ” 

Herr Sesemann stood still; the doctor’s words were 
a shock to him. 

“ If you put it so, doctor, there is assuredly only 
one way — and the thing must be seen to at once.” 
And then he and the doctor walked up and down for 
a while arranging what to do, after which the doctor 
said good-bye, for some time had passed since they 
first sat down together, and as the master himself 
opened the hall door this time the morning light 
shone down through it into the house. 



H err SESEMANN, a good deal irritated and 
excited, went quickly upstairs and along the 
passage to Fraulein Rottenmeier’s room, and 
there gave such an unusually loud knock at the door 
that the lady awoke from sleep with a cry of alarm. 
She heard the master of the house calling to her from 
the other side of the door, “ Please make haste and 
come down to me in the dining-room; we must make 
ready for a journey at once.” Fraulein Rottenmeier 
looked at her clock: it was just half-past four; she 
had never got up so early before in her life. What 
could have happened? What with her curiosity and 
excitement she took hold of everything the wrong 
way, and it was a case with her of more haste less 
speed, for she kept on searching everywhere for 
garments which she had already put on. 

Meanwhile Herr Sesemann had gone on farther 
and rung the bells in turn which communicated with 
the several servants* rooms, causing frightened 
figures to leap out of bed, convinced that the ghost 
had attacked the master and that he was calling for 
help. One by one they made their appearance in the 

dining-room, each v/ith a more terrified face than the 

179 









i8o 


HEIDI 


last, and were astonished to see their master walking 
up and down, looking well and cheerful, and with no 
appearance of having had an encounter with a ghost. 
John was sent off without delay to get the horses and 
carriage ready; Tinette was ordered to wake Heidi 
and get her dressed for a journey; Sebastian was 
hurried off to the house where Dete was in service 
to bring the latter round. Then Fraulein Rotten- 
meier, having at last accomplished her toilet, came 
down, with everything well adjusted about her except 
her cap, which was put on hind side before. Herr 
Sesemann put down her flurried appearance to the 
early awakening he had caused her, and began with¬ 
out delay to give her directions. She was to get out 
a trunk at once and pack up all the things belonging 
to the Swiss child — for so he usually spoke of Heidi, 
being unaccustomed to her name — and a good part 
of Clara’s clothes as well, so that the child might 
take home proper apparel; but everything was to be 
done immediately, as there was no time for consider¬ 
ation. 

Fraulein Rottenmeier stood as if rooted to the spot 
and stared in astonishment at Herr Sesemann. She 
had quite expected a long and private account of 
some terrible ghostly experience of his during the 
night, which she would have enjoyed hearing about 
in the broad daylight. Instead of this there were 
these prosaic and troublesome directions, which were 
so unexpected that she took some time to get over 
her surprise and disappointment, and continued 
stcinding awaiting further explanation. 


ON THE MOUNTAIN i8i 

But Herr Sesemann had no thought or time for ex¬ 
planations and left her standing there while he went 
to speak to Clara. As he anticipated, the unusual 
commotion in the house had disturbed her, and she 
was lying and listening and wondering what had 
happened. So he sat down and told her everything 
that had occurred during the past night, and ex¬ 
plained that the doctor had given his verdict and 
pronounced Heidi to be in a very highly strung state, 
so that her nightly wanderings might gradually lead 
her farther and farther, perhaps even on to the roof, 
which of course would be very dangerous for her. 
And so they had decided to send her home at once, 
as he did not like to take the responsibility of her 
remaining, and Clara would see for herself that it 
was the only thing to do. Clara was very much dis¬ 
tressed, and at first made all kinds of suggestions for 
keeping Heidi with her; but her father was firm, and 
promised her, if she would be reasonable and make 
no further fuss, that he would take her to Switzer¬ 
land next summer. So Clara gave in to the in¬ 
evitable, only stipulating that the box might be 
brought into her room to be packed, so that she might 
add whatever she liked, and her father was only too 
pleased to let her provide a nice outfit for the child. 
Meanwhile Dete had arrived and was waiting in the 
hall, wondering what extraordinary event had come 
to pass for her to be sent for at such an unusual hour. 
Herr Sesemann informed her of the state Heidi was 
in, and that he wished her that very day to take her 
home. Dete was greatly disappointed, for she had 


i 82 


HEIDI 


not expected such a piece of news. She remembered 
Uncle’s last words, that he never wished to set eyes 
on her again, and it seemed to her that to take back 
the child to him, after having left it with him once 
and then taken it away again, was not a safe or wise 
thing for her to do. So she excused herself to Herr 
Sesemann with her usual flow of words; to-day and 
to-morrow it would be quite impossible for her to 
take the journey, and there was so much to do that 
she doubted if she could get off on any of the follow¬ 
ing days. Herr Sesemann understood that she was 
unwilling to go at all, and so dismissed her. Then he 
Sent for Sebastian and told him to make ready to 
start: he was to travel with the child as far as Basle 
that day, and the next day take her home. He would 
give him a letter to carry to the grandfather, which 
would explain everything, and he himself could come 
back by return. 

“ But there is one thing in particular which I wish 
you to look after,” said Herr Sesemann in conclusion, 
“ and be sure you attend to what I say. I know the 
people of this hotel in Basle, the name of which 1 
give you on this card. They will see to providing 
rooms for the child and you. When there, go at once 
into the child’s room and see that the windows are all 
firmly fastened so that they cannot be easily opened. 
After the child is in bed, lock the door of her room 
on the outside, for the child walks in her sleep and 
might run into danger in a strange house if she went 
wandering downstairs and tried to open the front 
door; so you understand? ” 


ON THE MOUNTAIN 183 

‘‘Oh! then that was it?” exclaimed Sebastian, for 
now a light was thrown on the ghostly visitations. 

“ Yes, that was it! and you are a coward, and you 
may tell John he is the same, and the whole household 
a pack of idiots.” And with this Herr Sesemann 
went off to his study to write a letter to Alm-Uncle. 

Sebastian remained standing, feeling rather foolish. 
“ If only I had not let that fool of a John drag me 
back into the room, and had gone after the little white 
figure, which I should do certainly if I saw it now! ” 
he kept on saying to himself; but just now every 
corner of the room was clearly visible in the day¬ 
light. 

Meanwhile Heidi was standing expectantly dressed 
in her Sunday frock waiting to see what would 
happen next, for Tinette had only woke her up with 
a shake and put on her clothes without a word of 
explanation. The little uneducated child was far too 
much beneath her for Tinette to speak to. 

Herr Sesemann went back to the dining-room with 
the letter; breakfast was now ready, and he asked, 
“ Where is the child? ” 

Heidi was fetched, and as she walked up to him 
to say “ Good-morning,” he looked inquiringly into 
her face and said, “ Well, what do you say to this, 
little one? ” 

Heidi looked at him in perplexity. 

“ Why, you don’t know anything about it, I see,” 
laughed Herr Sesemann. “ You are going home to- 
day, going at once.” 

“ Home,” murmured Heidi in a low voice, turning 


HEIDI 


184 

pale; she was so overcome that for a moment or two 
she could hardly breathe. 

“ Don’t you want to hear more about it? ” 

“ Oh, yes, yes! ” exclaimed Heidi, her face now 
rosy with delight. 

“ All right, then,” said Herr Sesemann as he sat 
down and made her a sign to do the same, “ but now 
make a good breakfast, and then off you go in the 
carriage.” 

But Heidi could not swallow a morsel though she 
tried to do what she was told; she was in such a state 
of excitement that she hardly knew if she was awake 
or dreaming, or if she would again open her eyes to 
find herself in her nightgown at the front door. 

“ Tell Sebastian to take plenty of provisions with 
him,” Herr Sesemann called out to Fraulein Rotten- 
meier, who just then came into the room; “ the child 
can’t eat anything now, which is quite natural. Now 
run up to Clara and stay with her till the carriage 
comes round,” he added kindly, turning to Heidi. 

Heidi had been longing for this, and ran quickly 
upstairs. An immense trunk was standing open in 
the middle of the room. 

“ Come along, Heidi,” cried Clara, as she entered; 

see all the things I have had put in for you — aren’t 
you pleased? ” 

And she ran over a list of things, dresses and aprons 
and handkerchiefs, and all kinds of working materials. 
“ And look here,” she added, as she triumphantly held 
up a basket. Heidi peeped in and jumped for joy, for 
inside it were twelve beautiful round white rolls, all 


ON THE MOUNTAIN 185 

for grandmother. In their delight the children 
forgot that the time had come for them to separate, 
and when some one called out, “ The carriage is 
here,” there was no time for grieving. 

Heidi ran to her room to fetch her darling book; 
she knew no one could have packed that, as it lay 
under her pillow, for Heidi had kept it by her night 
and day. This was put in the basket with the rolls. 
Then she opened her wardrobe to look for another 
treasure, which perhaps no one would have thought 
of packing — and she was right — the old red shawl 
had been left behind, Fraulein Rottenmeier not con¬ 
sidering it worth putting in with the other things. 
Heidi wrapped it round something else which she 
laid on the top of the basket, so that the red package 
was quite conspicuous. Then she put on her pretty 
hat and left the room. The children could not spend 
much time over their farewells, for Herr Sesemann 
was waiting to put Heidi in the carriage. Fraulein 
Rottenmeier was waiting at the top of the stairs to 
say good-bye to her. When she caught sight of the 
strange little red bundle, she took it out of the basket 
and threw it on the ground. “ No, no, Adelaide,” she 
exclaimed, “ you cannot leave the house with that 
thing. What can you possibly want with it! ” And 
then she said good-bye to the child. Heidi did not 
dare take up her little bundle, but she gave the mas¬ 
ter of the house an imploring look, as if her greatest 
treasure had been taken from her. 

“ No, no,” said Herr Sesemann in a very decided 
voice, “ the child shall take home with her whatever 


i86 


HEIDI 


she likes, kittens and tortoises, if it pleases her; we 
need not put ourselves out about that, Fraulein 
Rottenmeier.” 

Heidi quickly picked up her bundle, with a look of 
joy and gratitude. As she stood by the carriage 
door, Herr Sesemann gave her his hand and said he 
hoped she would remember him and Clara. He 
wished her a happy journey, and Heidi thanked him 
for all his kindness, and added, ‘‘ And please say 
good-bye to the doctor for me and give him many, 
many thanks.” For she had not forgotten that he 
had said to her the night before, ‘ It will be all right 
to-morrow,’ and she rightly divined that he had 
helped to make it so for her. Heidi was now lifted 
into the carriage, and then the basket and the provi¬ 
sions were put in, and finally Sebastian took his 
place. Then Herr Sesemann called out once more, 
“ A pleasant journey to you,” and the carriage rolled 
away. 

Heidi was soon sitting in the railway carriage, 
holding her basket tightly on her lap; she would not 
let it out of her hands for a moment, for it contained 
the delicious rolls for grandmother; so she must keep 
it carefully, and even peep inside it from time to time 
to enjoy the sight of them. For many hours she sat 
as still as a mouse; only now was she beginning to 
realize that she was going home to the grandfather, 
the mountain, the grandmother, and Peter, and 
pictures of all she was going to see again rose one 
by one before her eyes; she thought of how every¬ 
thing would look at home, but this brought other 


ON THE MOUNTAIN 187 

thoughts to her mind, and all of a sudden she said 
anxiously, “ Sebastian, are you sure that grand¬ 
mother on the mountain is not dead? ” 

“ No, no,” said Sebastian, wishing to soothe her, 
“ we will hope not; she is sure to be alive still.” 

Then Heidi fell back on her own thoughts again. 
Now and then she looked inside the basket, for the 
thing she looked forward to most was laying all the 
rolls out on grandmother’s table. After a long 
silence she spoke again, “ If only we could know for 
certain that grandmother is alive! ” 

“Yes, yes,” said Sebastian, half asleep; “she is 
sure to be alive, there is no reason why she should be 
dead.” 

After a while sleep fell on Heidi too, and after her 
disturbed night and early rising she slept so soundly 
that she did not wake till Sebastian shook her by 
the arm and called to her, “Wake up, wake up! we 
shall have to get out directly; we are just in Basle! ” 
There was a further railway journey of many hours 
the next day. Heidi again sat with her basket on her 
knee, for she would not have given it up to Sebastian 
on any consideration; to-day she never even opened 
her mouth, for her excitement, which increased with 
every mile of the journey, kept her speechless. All 
of a sudden, before Heidi expected it, a voice called 
out, “ Mayenfeld.” She and Sebastian both jumped 
up, the latter also taken by surprise. In another 
minute they were both standing on the platform with 
Heidi’s trunk, and the train was steaming away down 
the valley. Sebastian looked after it regretfully, for 


HEIDI 


188 

he preferred the easier mode of travelling to a weari¬ 
some climb on foot, especially as there was danger no 
doubt as well as fatigue in a country like this, where, 
according to Sebastian’s idea, everything and every¬ 
body were half savage. He therefore looked cau¬ 
tiously to either side to see who was a likely person 
to ask the safest way to Dorfli. 

Just outside the station he saw a shabby-looking 
little cart and horse which a broad-shouldered man 
was loading with heavy sacks that had been brought 
by the train, so he went up to him and asked which 
was the safest way to get to Dorfli. 

“ All the roads about here are safe,” was the curt 
reply. 

So Sebastian altered his question and asked which 
was the best way to avoid falling over the precipice, 
and also how a box could be conveyed to Dorfli. The 
man looked at the box, weighing it with his eye, and 
then volunteered if it was not too heavy to take it 
on his own cart, as he was driving to Dorfli. After 
some little interchange of words it was finally agreed 
that the man should take both the child and the box 
to Dorfli, and there find some one who could be sent 
on with Heidi up the mountain. 

“ I can go by myself, I know the way well from 
Dorfli,” put in Heidi, who had been listening atten¬ 
tively to the conversation. Sebastian was greatly 
relieved at not having to do any mountain climbing. 
He drew Heidi aside and gave her a thick rolled 
parcel, and a letter for her grandfather; the parcel, 


ON THE MOUNTAIN 189 

he told her, was a present from Herr Sesemann, and 
she must put it at the bottom of her basket under the 
rolls and be very careful not to lose it, as Herr Sese¬ 
mann would be very vexed if she did, and never be 
the same to her again; so little miss was to think well 
of what he said. 

“ I shall be sure not to lose it,” said Heidi con¬ 
fidently, and she at once put the roll and the letter at 
the bottom of her basket. The trunk meanwhile had 
been hoisted into the cart, and now Sebastian lifted 
Heidi and her basket on to the high seat and shook 
hands with her; he then made signs to her to keep her 
eye on the basket, for the driver was standing near 
and Sebastian thought it better to be careful, 
especially as he knew that he ought himself to have 
seen the child safely to her journey’s end. The 
driver now swung himself up beside Heidi, and the 
cart rolled away in the direction of the mountains, 
while Sebastian, glad of having no tiring and danger¬ 
ous journey on foot before him, sat down in the 
station and awaited the return train. 

The driver of the car was the miller at Ddrfli and 
was taking home his sacks of flour. He had never 
seen Heidi, but like everybody in Dorfli knew all 
about her. He had known her parents, and felt sure 
at once that this was the child of whom he had heard 
so much. He began to wonder why she had come 
back, and as they drove along he entered into con¬ 
versation with her. “You are the child who lived 
with your grandfather, Alm-Uncle, are you not? ” 


igo 


HEIDI 


“ Yes.” 

“ Didn’t they treat you well down there that you 
have come back so soon? ” 

“Yes, it was not that; everything in Frankfurt is 
as nice as it could be.” 

“ Then why are you running home again? ” 

“ Only because Herr Sesemann gave me leave, or 
else I should not have come.” 

“ If they were willing to let you stay, why did you 
not remain where you were better off than at home? ” 

“ Because I would a thousand times rather be with 
grandfather on the mountain than anywhere else in 
the world.” 

“ You will think differently perhaps when you get 
back there,” grumbled the miller; and then to him¬ 
self, “ It’s strange of her, for she must know what 
it’s like.” 

He began whistling and said no more, while Heidi 
looked around her and began to tremble with excite¬ 
ment, for she knew every tree along the way, and 
there overhead were the high jagged peaks of the 
mountain looking down on her like old friends. And 
Heidi nodded back to them, and grew every moment 
more wild with her joy and longing, feeling as if she 
must jump down from the cart and run with all her 
might till she reached the top. But she sat quite still 
and did not move, although inwardly in such agita¬ 
tion. The clock was striking five as they drove into 
Ddrfli. A crowd of women and children immediately 
surrounded the cart, for the box and the child arriv¬ 
ing with the miller had excited the curiosity of every- 


ON THE MOUNTAIN 


191 


body in the neighborhood, inquisitive to know 
whence they came and whither they were going and 
to whom they belonged. As the miller lifted Heidi 
down, she said hastily, “ Thank you, grandfather will 
send for the trunk,’’ and was just going to run off, 
when first one and then another of the bystanders 
caught hold of her, each one having a different ques¬ 
tion to put to her. But Heidi pushed her way through 
them with such an expression of distress on her face 
that they were forced to let her go. ‘‘ You see,” they 
said to one another, “ how frightened she is, and no 
wonder,” and then they went on to talk of Alm-Uncle, 
how much worse he had grown that last year, never 
speaking a word and looking as if he would like to 
kill everybody he met, and if the child had anywhere 
else to go to she certainly would not run back to 
the old dragon’s den. But here the miller interrupted 
them, saying he knew more about it than they did, 
and began telling them how a kind gentleman had 
brought her to Mayenfeld and seen her off, and had 
given him his fare without any bargaining, and extra 
money for himself; what was more, the child had 
assured him that she had had everything she wanted 
where she had been, and that it was her own wish 
to return to her grandfather. This information 
caused great surprise and was soon repeated all over 
Dorfli, and that evening there was not a house in 
the place in which the astounding news was not dis¬ 
cussed, of how Heidi had of her own accord given up 
a luxurious home to return to her grandfather. 

Heidi climbed up the steep path from Dorfli as 


192 


HEIDI 


quickly as she could; she was obliged, however, to 
pause now and again to take breath, for the basket 
she carried was rather heavy, and the way got steeper 
as she drew nearer the top. One thought alone filled 
Heidi’s mind, “ Would she find the grandmother 
sitting in her usual corner by the spinning-wheel, was 
she still alive ? ” At last Heidi caught sight of the 
grandmother’s house in the hollow of the mountain 
and her heart began to beat; she ran faster and faster 
and her heart beat louder and louder — and now she 
had reached the house, but she trembled so she could 
hardly open the door — and then she was standing 
inside, unable in her breathlessness to utter a sound. 

“ Ah, my God! ” cried a voice from the corner, 
“ that was how Heidi used to run in; if only I could 
have her with me once again! Who is there?” 

“ It’s I, I, grandmother,” cried Heidi as she ran 
and flung herself on her knees beside the old woman, 
and seizing her hands, clung to her, unable to speak 
for joy. And the grandmother herself could not say 
a word for some time, so unexpected was this happi¬ 
ness; but at last she put out her hand and stroked 
Heidi’s curly hair, and said, ‘‘Yes, yes, that is her 
hair, and her voice; thank God that He has granted 
my prayer! ” And tears of joy fell from the blind 
eyes on to Heidi’s hand. “ Is it really you, Heidi; 
have you really come back to me ? ” 

“Yes, grandmother, I am really here,” answered 
Heidi in a reassuring voice. “ Do not cry, for I have 
really come back and I am never going away again, 
and I shall come every day to see you, and you won’t 


ON THE MOUNTAIN 


193 

have any more hard bread to eat for some days, for 
look, look! ” 

And Heidi took the rolls from the basket and piled 
the whole twelve up on grandmother’s lap. 

“ Ah, child! child! what a blessing you bring with 
you! ” the old woman exclaimed, as she felt and 
seemed never to come to the end of the rolls. “ But 
you yourself are the greatest blessing, Heidi,” and 
again she touched the child’s hair and passed her hand 
over her hot cheeks, and said, “ Say something, child, 
that I may hear your voice.” 

Then Heidi told her how unhappy she had been, 
thinking that the grandmother might die while she 
was away and would never have her white rolls, and 
that then she would never, never see her again. 

Peter’s mother now came in and stood for a 
moment overcome with astonishment. “ Why, it’s 
Heidi,” she exclaimed, “ and yet can it be? ” 

Heidi stood up, and Brigitta now could not say 
enough in her admiration of the child’s dress and ap¬ 
pearance; she walked round her, exclaiming all the 
while, Grandmother, if you could only see her, and 
see what a pretty frock she has on; you would hardly 
know her again. And the hat with the feather in it 
is yours too, I suppose? Put it on that I may see 
how you look in it? ” 

“No, I would rather not,” replied Heidi firmly. 
“You can have it if you like; I do not want it; I 
have my own still.” And Heidi so saying undid her 
red bundle and took out her own old hat, which had 
become a little more battered still during the jour- 


194 


HEIDI 


ney. But this was no trouble to Heidi; she had not 
forgotten how her grandfather had called out to Dete 
that he never wished to see her and her hat and 
feathers again, and this was the reason she had so 
anxiously preserved her old hat, for she had never 
ceased to think about going home to her grandfather. 
But Brigitta told her not to be so foolish as to give it 
away; she would not think of taking such a beautiful 
hat; if Heidi did not want to wear it she might sell 
it to the schoolmaster’s daughter in Dorfli and get a 
good deal of money for it. But Heidi stuck to her 
intention and hid the hat quietly in a corner behind 
the grandmother’s chair. Then she took off her 
pretty dress and put her red shawl on over her under¬ 
petticoat, which left her arms bare; and now she 
clasped the old woman’s hand. ‘‘ I must go home to 
grandfather,” she said, “ but to-morrow I shall come 
again. Good-night, grandmother.” 

“Yes, come again, be sure you come again to¬ 
morrow,” begged the grandmother, as she pressed 
Heidi’s hands in hers, unwilling to let her go. 

“Why have you taken off that pretty dress?” 
asked Brigitta. 

“Because I would rather go home to grandfather 
as I am or else perhaps he would not know me; you 
hardly did at first.” 

Brigitta went with her to the door, and there said in 
rather a mysterious voice, “ You might have kept on 
your dress, he would have known you all right; but 
you must be careful, for Peter tells me that Alm-Uncle 
is always now in a bad temper and never speaks.” 


ON THE MOUNTAIN 


195 


Heidi bid her good-night and continued her way 
up the mountain, her basket on her arm. All around 
her the steep green slopes shone bright in the evening 
sun, and soon the great gleaming snow-field up above 
came in sight. Heidi was obliged to keep on pausing 
to look behind her, for the higher peaks were behind 
her as she climbed. Suddenly a warm red glow fell 
on the grass at her feet; she looked back again — 
she had not remembered how splendid it was, nor 
seen anything to compare to it in her dreams — for 
there the two high mountain peeks rose into the air 
like two great flames, the whole snow-field had turned 
crimson, and rosy-colored clouds floated in the sky 
above. The grass upon the mountain sides had 
turned to gold, the rocks were all aglow, and the 
whole valley was bathed in golden mist. And as 
Heidi stood gazing around her at all this splendor 
the tears ran down her cheeks for very delight and 
happiness, and impulsively she put her hands to¬ 
gether, and lifting her eyes to heaven, thanked God 
aloud for having brought her home, thanked Him 
that everything was as beautiful as ever, more beau¬ 
tiful even than she had thought, and that it was all 
hers again once more. And she was so overflowing 
with joy and thankfulness that she could not find 
words to thank Him enough. Not until the glory 
began to fade could she tear herself away. Then she 
ran on so quickly that in a very little while she caught 
sight of the tops of the fir trees above the hut roof, 
then the roof itself, and at last the whole hut, and 
there was grandfather sitting as in old days smoking 


HEIDI 


196 

his pipe, and she could see the fir trees waving in the 
wind. Quicker and quicker went her little feet, and 
before Alm-Uncle had time to see who was coming, 
Heidi had rushed up to him, thrown down her basket 
and flung her arms round his neck, unable in the 
excitement of seeing him again to say more than 
“ Grandfather! grandfather! grandfather! ’’ over and 
over again. 

And the old man himself said nothing. For the 
first time for many years his eyes were wet, and he 
had to pass his hand across them. Then he unloosed 
Heidi’s arms, put her on his knee, and after looking 
at her for a moment, “ So you have come back to me, 
Heidi,” he said, “ how is that? You don’t look much 
of a grand lady. Did they send you away? ” 

“ Oh, no, grandfather,” said Heidi eagerly, “ you 
must not think that; they were all so kind — Clara, 
and grandmamma, and Herr Sesemann. But you 
see, grandfather, I did not know how to bear myself 
till I got home again to you. I used to think I should 
die, for I felt as if I could not breathe; but I never 
said anything because it would have been ungrateful. 
And then suddenly one morning quite early Herr 
Sesemann said to me -— but I think it was partly the 
doctor’s doing — but perhaps it’s all in the letter —” 
and Heidi jumped down and fetched the roll and the 
letter and handed them both to her grandfather. 

“ That belongs to you,” said the latter, laying the 
roll down on the bench beside him. Then he opened 
the letter, read it through and without a word put it 
in his pocket. 


ON THE MOUNTAIN 


197 

Do you think you can still drink milk with me, 
Heidi?'' he asked, taking the child by the hand to go 
into the hut. “ But bring your money with you; you 
can buy a bed and bedclothes and dresses for a couple 
of years with it.” 

“ I am sure I do not want it,” replied Heidi. “ I 
have got a bed already, and Clara has put such a lot 
of clothes in my box that I shall never want any 
more.” 

“Take it and put it in the cupboard; you will want 
it some day I have no doubt.” 

Heidi obeyed and skipped happily after her grand¬ 
father into the house; she ran into all the corners, 
delighted to see everything again, and then went up 
the ladder — but there she came to a pause and called 
down in a tone of surprise and distress, ‘‘ Oh, grand¬ 
father, my bed’s gone.” 

“ We can soon make it up again,” he answered her 
from below. “ I did not know that you were coming 
back; come along now and have your milk.” 

Heidi came down, sat herself on her high stool in 
the old place, and then taking up her bowl drank her 
milk eagerly, as if she had never come across any¬ 
thing so delicious, and as she put down her bowl, she 
exclaimed, “ Our milk tastes nicer than anything else 
in the world, grandfather.” 

A shrill whistle was heard outside. Heidi darted 
out like a flash of lightning. There were the goats 
leaping and springing among the rocks, with Peter in 
their midst. When he caught sight of Heidi he stood 
still with astonishment and gazed speechlessly at her. 


HEIDI 


198 

Heidi called out, ‘‘ Good-evening, Peter,” and then 
ran in among the goats. “ Little Swan! Little 
Bear! do you know me again?” And the animals 
evidently recognized her voice at once, for they be¬ 
gan rubbing their heads against her and bleating 
loudly as if for joy, and as she called the other goats 
by name one after the other, they all came scamper¬ 
ing towards her helter-skelter and crowding round 
her. The impatient Greenfinch sprang into the air 
and over two of her companions in order to get 
nearer, and even the shy little Snowflake butted the 
Great Turk out of her way in quite a determined 
manner, which left him standing taken aback by her 
boldness, and lifting his beard in the air as much as to 
say. You see who I am. 

Heidi was out of her mind with delight at being 
among all her old friends again; she flung her arms 
round the pretty little Snowflake, stroked the 
obstreperous Greenfinch, while she herself was thrust 
at from all sides by the affectionate and confiding 
goats; and so at last she got near to where Peter was 
still standing, not having yet got over his surprise. 

“ Come down, Peter,” cried Heidi, “ and say good¬ 
evening to me.” 

“ So you are back again? ” he found words to say at 
last, and now ran down and took Heidi’s hand which 
she was holding out in greeting, and immediately put 
the same question to her which he had been in the 
habit of doing in the old days when they returned 
home in the evening, “ Will you come out with me 
again to-morrow? ” 


ON THE MOUNTAIN 


199 

“ Not to-morrow, but the day after perhaps, for to¬ 
morrow I must go down to grandmother.” 

“ I am glad you are back,” said Peter, while his 
whole face beamed with pleasure, and then he pre¬ 
pared to go on with his goats; but he never had had 
so much trouble with them before, for when at last, 
by coaxing and threats, he had got them all together, 
and Heidi had gone off with an arm over either head 
of her grandfather’s two, the whole flock suddenly 
turned and ran after her. Heidi had to go inside the 
stall with her two and shut the door, or Peter would 
never have got home that night. When Heidi went 
indoors after this she found her bed already made up 
for her; the hay had been piled high for it and smelt 
deliciously, for it had only just been got in, and the 
grandfather had carefully spread and tucked in the 
clean sheets. It was with a happy heart that Heidi 
lay down in it that night, and her sleep was sounder 
than it had been for a whole year past. The grand¬ 
father got up at least ten times during the night and 
mounted the ladder to see if Heidi was all right and 
showing no signs of restlessness, and to feel that the 
hay he had stuffed into the round window was keep¬ 
ing the moon from shining too brightly upon her. 
But Heidi did not stir; she had no need now to wander 
about, for the great burning longing of her heart was 
satisfied; she had seen the high mountains and rocks 
alight in the evening glow, she had heard the wind 
in the fir trees, she was at home again on the moun¬ 
tain. 



H eidi was standing under the waving fir trees 
waiting for her grandfather, who was going 
down with her to grandmother’s, and then 
on to Dorfli to fetch her box. She was longing to 
know how grandmother had enjoyed her white bread 
and impatient to see and hear her again; but no time 
seemed weary to her now, for she could not listen, 
long enough to the familiar voice of the trees, or drink 
in too much of the fragrance wafted to her from the 
green pastures where the golden-headed flowers were 
glowing in the sun, a very feast to her eyes. The 
grandfather came out, gave a look round, and then 
called to her in a cheerful voice, “ Well, now we can 
be off.” 

It was Saturday, a day when Alm-Uncle made 
everything clean and tidy inside and outside the 
house; he had devoted his morning to this work so as 
to be able to accompany Heidi in the afternoon, and 
the whole place was now as spick and span as he liked 
to see it. They parted at the grandmother’s cottage 
and Heidi ran in. The grandmother had heard her 
steps approaching and greeted her as she crossed the 
threshold, “Is it you, child? Have you come 
again? 


200 




SUNDAY BELLS 


201 


Then she took hold of Heidi’s hand and held it fast 
in her own, for she still seemed to fear that the child 
might be torn from her again. And now she had to 
tell Heidi how much she had enjoyed the white bread, 
and how much stronger she felt already for having 
been able to eat it, and then Peter’s mother went on 
and said she was sure that if her mother could eat like 
that for a week she would get back some of her 
strength, but she was so afraid of coming to the end 
of the rolls, that she had only eaten one as yet. 
Heidi listened to all Brigitta said, and sat thinking 
for a while. Then she suddenly thought of a way. 

“ I know, grandmother, what I will do,” she said 
eagerly, ‘‘ I will write to Clara, and she will send me 
as many rolls again, if not twice as many as you have 
already, for I had ever such a large heap in the ward¬ 
robe, and when they were all taken away she prom¬ 
ised to give me as many back, and she would do so 
I am sure.” 

“That is a good idea,” said Brigitta; “but then, 
they would get hard and stale. The baker in Dorfli 
makes the white rolls, and if we could get some of 
those he has over now and then — but I can only 
just manage to pay for the black bread.” 

A further bright thought came to Heidi, and with a 
look of joy, “ Oh, I have lots of money, grandmother,” 
she cried gleefully, skipping about the room in her 
delight, “ and I know now what I will do with it. 
You must have a fresh white roll every day, and two 
on Sunday, and Peter can bring them up from Dorfli.” 

“ No, no, child! ” answered the grandmother, “ I 


202 


HEIDI 


cannot let you do that; the money was not given to 
you for that purpose; you must give it to your grand¬ 
father, and he will tell you how you are to spend it.” 

But Heidi was not to be hindered in her kind inten¬ 
tions, and she continued to jump about, saying over 
and over again in a tone of exultation, “ Now, grand¬ 
mother can have a roll every day and will grow quite 
strong again — and. Oh, grandmother,” she suddenly 
exclaimed with an increase of jubilation in her voice, 
“ if you get strong everything will grow light again 
for you; perhaps it’s only because you are weak that 
it is dark.” The grandmother said nothing, she did 
not wish to spoil the child’s pleasure. As she went 
jumping about Heidi suddenly caught sight of the 
grandmother’s song book, and another happy idea 
struck her, ‘‘ Grandmother, I can also read now, 
would you like me to read you one of your hymns 
from your old book? ” 

“ Oh, yes,” said the grandmother, surprised and de¬ 
lighted; ‘‘but can you really read, child, really? ” 

Heidi had climbed on to a chair and had already 
lifted down the book, bringing a cloud of dust with it, 
for it had lain untouched on the shelf for a long time. 
Heidi wiped it, sat herself down on a stool beside the 
old woman, and asked her which hymn she should 
read. 

“ What you like, child, what you like,” and the 
grandmother pushed her spinning-wheel aside and sat 
in eager expectation waiting for Heidi to begin. 
Heidi turned over the leaves and read a line out 
softly to herself here and there. At last she said. 


SUNDAY BELLS 


203 


“ Here is one about the sun, grandmother, I will read 
you that.” And Heidi began, reading with more 
and more warmth of expression as she went on,— 

The morning breaks. 

And warm and bright 
The earth lies still 
In the golden light — 

For Dawn has scattered the clouds of night. 

God’s handiwork 
Is seen around, 

Things great and small 
To His praise abound — 

Where are the signs of His love not found? 

All things must pass. 

But God shall still 
With steadfast power 
His will fulfil — 

Sure and unshaken is His will. 

His saving grace 
Will never fail. 

Though grief and fear 
The heart assail — 

O’er life’s wild seas He will prevail. 

Joy shall be ours 
In that garden blest. 

Where after storm 
We find our rest — 

I wait in peace — God’s time is best. 


204 


HEIDI 


The grandmother sat with folded hands and a look 
of indescribable joy on her face, such as Heidi had 
never seen there before, although at the same time 
the tears were running down her cheeks. As Heidi 
finished, she implored her, saying, “ Read it once 
again, child, just once again.” 

And the child began again, with as much pleasure 
in the verses as the grandmother,— 

Joy shall be ours 
In that garden blest. 

Where after storm 
We find our rest — 

I wait in peace — God’s time is best. 

“ Ah, Heidi, that brings light to the heart! What 
comfort you have brought me! ” 

And the old woman kept on repeating the glad 
words, while Heidi beamed with happiness, and she 
could not take her eyes away from the grandmother’s 
face, which had never looked like that before. It 
had no longer the old troubled expression, but was 
alight with peace and joy as if she were already look¬ 
ing with clear new eyes into the garden of Paradise. 

Some one now knocked at the window and Heidi 
looked up and saw her grandfather beckoning her to 
come home with him. She promised the grand¬ 
mother before leaving her that she would be with 
her the next day, and even if she went out with Peter 
she would only spend half the day with him, for the 
thought that she might make it light and happy again 
for the grandmother gave her the greatest pleasure, 


SUNDAY BELLS 


205 


greater even than being out on the sunny mountain 
with the flowers and goats. As she was going out 
Brigitta ran to her with the frock and hat she had 
left. Heidi put the dress over her arm, for, as she 
thought to herself, the grandfather had seen that be¬ 
fore, but she obstinately refused to take back the hat; 
Brigitta could keep it, for she should never put it on 
her head again. Heidi was so full of her morning’s 
doings that she began at once to tell her grandfather 
all about them: how the white bread could be fetched 
every day from Dorfli if there was money for it, and 
how the grandmother had all at once grown stronger 
and happier, and light had come to her. Then she 
returned to the subject of the rolls. “ If the grand¬ 
mother won’t take the money, grandfather, will you 
give it all to me, and I can then give Peter enough 
every day to buy a roll and two on Sunday? ” 

“But how about the bed?” said her grandfather. 
“ It would be nice for you to have a proper bed, and 
there would then be plenty for the bread.” 

But Heidi gave her grandfather no peace till he con¬ 
sented to do what she wanted; she slept a great deal 
better, she said, on her bed of hay than on her fine 
pillowed bed in Frankfurt. So at last he said, “ The 
money is yours, do what you like with it; you can buy 
bread for grandmother for years to come with it.” 

Heidi shouted for joy at the thought that grand¬ 
mother would never need any more to eat hard black 
bread, and “ Oh, grandfather! ” she said, “ everything 
is happier now than it has ever been in our lives be¬ 
fore ! ” and she sang and skipped along, holding her 


206 


HEIDI 


grandfather’s hand as light-hearted as a bird. But 
all at once she grew quiet and said, “ If God had let 
me come at once, as I prayed, then everything would 
have been different, I should only have had a little 
bread to bring to grandmother, and I should not have 
been able to read, which is such a comfort to her; but 
God has arranged it all so much better than I knew 
how to; everything has happened just as the other 
grandmother said it would. Oh, how glad I am that 
God did not let me have at once all I prayed and wept 
for! And now I shall always pray to God as she told 
me, and always thank Him, and when He does not do 
anything I ask for I shall think to myself. It’s just 
like it was in Frankfurt: God, I am sure, is going to 
do something better still. So we will pray every day, 
won’t we, grandfather, and never forget Him again, 
or else He may forget us.” 

“And supposing one does forget Him?” said the 
grandfather in a low voice. 

“ Then everything goes wrong, for God lets us then 
go where we like, and when we get poor and miser¬ 
able and begin to cry about it no one pities us, but 
they say. You ran away from God, and so God, who 
could have helped you, left you to yourself.” 

“ That is true, Heidi; where did you learn that? ” 

“ From grandmamma; she explained it all to me.” 

The grandfather walked on for a little while with¬ 
out speaking, then he said, as if following his own 
train of thought: “And if it once is so, it is so 
always; no one can go back, and he whom God has 
forgotten, is forgotten for ever.” 


SUNDAY BELLS 


207 

Oh, no, grandfather, we can go back, for grand¬ 
mamma told me so, and so it was in the beautiful tale 
in my book — but you have not heard that yet; but 
we shall be home directly now, and then I will read it 
you, and you will see how beautiful it is/* And in 
her eagerness Heidi struggled faster and faster up 
the steep ascent, and they were no sooner at the top 
than she let go her grandfather’s hand and ran into 
the hut. The grandfather slung the basket off his 
shoulders in which he had brought up a part of the 
contents of the trunk which was too heavy to carry 
up as it was. Then he sat down on his seat and be¬ 
gan thinking. 

Heidi soon came running out with her book under 
her arm. “ That’s right, grandfather,” she exclaimed 
as she saw he had already taken his seat, and in a 
second she was beside him and had her book open at 
the particular tale, for she had read it so often that 
the leaves fell open at it of their own accord. And 
now in a sympathetic voice Heidi began to read of 
the son when he was happily at home, and went out 
into the fields with his father’s flocks, and was dressed 
in a fine cloak, and stood leaning on his shepherd’s 
staff watching as the sun went down, just as he was 
to be seen in the picture. But then all at once he 
wanted to have his own goods and money and to be 
his own master, and so he asked his father to give 
him his portion, and he left his home and went and 
wasted all his substance. And when he had nothing 
left he hired himself out to a master who had no 
flocks and fields like his father, but only swine to 


208 


HEIDI 


keep; and so he was obliged to watch these, and he 
only had rags to wear and a few husks to eat such 
as the swine fed upon. And then he thought of his 
old happy life at home and of how kindly his father 
had treated him and how ungrateful he had been, and 
he wept for sorrow and longing. And he thought to 
himself, “ I will arise and go to my father, and will 
say to him, ‘ Father, I am not worthy to be called thy 
son; make me as one of thy hired servants.* ** And 
when he was yet a great way off his father saw him 
. . . Here Heidi paused in her reading. ‘‘ What 
do you think happens now, grandfather?” she said. 
“Do you think the father is still angry and will say to 
him ‘ I told you so! * Well, listen now to what comes 
next.” His father saw him, and had compassion, and 
ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the 
son said to him, “ Father, I have sinned against 
heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to 
be called thy son.** But the father said to his ser~ 
vants, “ Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; 
and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet: and 
bring hither the fatted calf and kill it; and let us eat 
and be merry, for this my son was dead and is alive 
again; he was lost and is found. And they began to 
be merry.** 

“ Isn*t that a beautiful tale, grandfather,** said 
Heidi, as the latter continued to sit without speaking, 
for she had expected him to express pleasure and 
astonishment. 

“You are right, Heidi; it is a beautiful tale,** he 
replied, but he looked so grave as he said it that Heidi 


SUNDAY BELLS 


2og 


grew silent herself and sat looking quietly at her pic¬ 
tures. Presently she pushed her book gently in front 
of him and said, “ See how happy he is there,” and she 
pointed with her finger to the figure of the returned 
prodigal, who was standing by his father clad in fresh 
raiment as one of his own sons again. 

A few hours later, as Heidi lay fast asleep in her 
bed, the grandfather went up the ladder and put his 
lamp down near her bed so that the light fell on the 
sleeping child. Her hands were still folded as if she 
had fallen asleep saying her prayers, an expression of 
peace and trust lay on the little face, and something 
in it seemed to appeal to the grandfather, for he 
stood a long time gazing down at her without speak¬ 
ing. At last he too folded his hands, and with bowed 
head said in a low voice, “ Father, 1 have sinned 
against heaven and before thee and am not worthy to 
be called thy son.” And two large tears rolled down 
the old man’s cheeks. 

Early the next morning he stood in front of his hut 
and gazed quietly around him. The fresh bright 
morning sun lay on mountain and valley. The 
sound of a few early bells rang up from the valley, 
and the birds were singing their morning song in the 
fir trees. He stepped back into the hut and called 
up, “ Come along, Heidi I the sun is up I Put on your 
best frock, for we are going to church together! ” 

Heidi was not long getting ready; it was such an 
unusual summons from her grandfather that she must 
make haste. She put on her smart Frankfurt dress 
and soon went down, but when she saw her grand- 


210 


HEIDI 


father she stood still, gazing at him in astonishment. 
‘‘ Why, grandfather! ” she exclaimed, “ I never saw 
you look like that before! and the coat with the silver 
buttons! Oh, you do look nice in your Sunday 
coat!” 

The old man smiled and replied, “And you too; 
now come along! ” He took Heidi’s hand in his and 
together they walked down the mountain side. The 
bells were ringing in every direction now, sounding 
louder and fuller as they neared the valley, and Heidi 
listened to them with delight. “ Hark at them, 
grandfather! it’s like a great festival! ” 

The congregation had already assembled and the 
singing had begun when Heidi and her grandfather 
entered the church at Dorfli and sat down at the 
back. But before the hymn was over every one was 
nudging his neighbor and whispering, “ Do you 
see? Alm-Uncle is in church!” 

Soon everybody in the church knew of Alm- 
Uncle’s presence, and the women kept on turning 
round to look and quite lost their place in the sing¬ 
ing. But everybody became more attentive when 
the sermon began, for the preacher spoke with such 
warmth and thankfulness that those present felt the 
effect of his words, as if some great joy had come to 
them all. At the close of the service Alm-Uncle took 
Heidi by the hand, and on leaving the church made 
his way towards the pastor’s house; the rest of the 
congregation looked curiously after him, some even 
following to see whether he v/ent inside the pastor’s 
house, which he did. Then they collected in groups 


SUNDAY BELLS 


2II 


and talked over this strange event, keeping their eyes 
on the pastor’s door, watching to see whether Aim- 
Uncle came out looking angry and quarrelsome, or 
as if the interview had been a peaceful one, for they 
could not imagine what had brought the old man 
down, and what it all meant. Some, however, 
adopted a new tone and expressed their opinion that 
Aim-Uncle was not so bad after all as they thought, 
“ for see how carefully he took the little one by the 
hand.” And others responded and said they had al¬ 
ways thought people had exaggerated about him, that 
if he was so downright bad he would be afraid to go 
inside the pastor’s house. Then the miller put in his 
word, “ Did I not tell you so from the first? What 
child is there who would run away from where she 
had plenty to eat and drink and everything of the 
best, home to a grandfather who was cruel and un¬ 
kind, and of whom she was afraid? ” 

And so everybody began to feel quite friendly to¬ 
wards Alm-Uncle, and the women now came up and 
related all they had been told by Peter and his grand¬ 
mother, and finally they all stood there like people 
waiting for an old friend whom they had long missed 
from among their number. 

Meanwhile Alm-Uncle had gone into the pastor’s 
house and knocked at the study door. The latter 
came out and greeted him, not as if he was surprised 
to see him, but as if he had quite expected to see him 
there; he probably had caught sight of the old man in 
church. He shook hands warmly with him, and Alm- 
Uncle was unable at first to speak, for he had not ex‘> 


212 


HEIDI 


pected such a friendly reception. At last he collected 
himself and said, I have come to ask you, pastor, to 
forget the words I spoke to you when you called on 
me, and to beg you not to owe me ill-will for having 
been so obstinately set against your well-meant ad¬ 
vice. You were right, and I was wrong, but I have 
now made up my mind to follow your advice and to 
find a place for myself at Dorfli for the winter, for the 
child is not strong enough to stand the bitter cold up 
on the mountain. And if the people down here look 
askance at me, as at a person not to be trusted, I 
know it is my own fault, and you will, I am sure, not 
do so.” 

The pastor’s kindly eyes shone with pleasure. He 
pressed the old man’s hand in his, and said with 
emotion, “ Neighbor, you went into the right church 
before you came to mine; I am greatly rejoiced. You 
will not repent coming to live with us again; as for 
myself you will always be welcome as a dear friend 
and neighbor, and I look forward to our spending 
many a pleasant winter evening together, for I shall 
prize your companionship, and we will find some nice 
friends too for the little one.” And the pastor laid 
his hand kindly on the child’s curly head and took 
her by the hand as he walked to the door with the 
old man. He did not say good-bye to him till they 
were standing outside, so that all the people standing 
about saw him shake hands as if parting reluctantly 
from his best friend. The door had hardly shut be¬ 
hind him before the whole congregation now came 


SUNDAY BELLS 


213 


forward to greet Alm-Uncle, every one striving to be 
the first to shake hands with him, and so many were 
held out that Alm-Uncle did not know with which to 
begin; and some said, “We are so pleased to see you 
among us again,** and another, “ I have long been 
wishing we could have a talk together again,** and 
greetings of all kinds echoed from every side, and 
when Alm-Uncle told them he was thinking of re¬ 
turning to his old quarters in Dorfli for the winter, 
there was such a general chorus of pleasure that any 
one would have thought he was the most beloved 
person in all Dorfli, and that they had hardly known 
how to live without him. Most of his friends accom¬ 
panied him and Heidi some way up the mountain, 
and each as they bid him good-bye made him promise 
that when he next came down he would without fail 
come and call. As the old man at last stood alone 
with the child, watching their retreating figures, 
there was a light upon his face as if reflected from 
some inner sunshine of heart. Heidi, looking up at 
him with her clear steady eyes, said, “ Grandfather, 
you look nicer and nicer to-day, I never saw you quite 
like that before.** 

“Do you think so?*’ he answered with a smile. 
“Well, yes, Heidi, I am happier to-day than I de¬ 
serve, happier than I had thought possible; it is good 
to be at peace with God and man! God was good 
to me when He sent you to my hut.** 

When they reached Peter*s home the grandfather 
opened the door and walked straight in, “ Good- 


214 


HEIDI 


morning, grandmother,’’ he said. “ I think we shall 
have to do some more patching up before the autumn 
winds come.” 

Dear God, if it is not Uncle! ” cried the grand¬ 
mother in pleased surprise. ‘‘ That I should live to 
see such a thing! and now I can thank you for all that 
you have done for me. May God reward you! may 
God reward you! ” She stretched out a trembling 
hand to him, and when the grandfather shook it 
warmly, she went on, still holding his, “ And I have 
something on my heart I want to say, a prayer to 
make to you! If I have injured you in any way, do 
not punish me by sending the child away again before 
I lie under the grass. Oh, you do not know what 
that child is to me! ” and she clasped the child to 
her, for Heidi had already taken her usual stand close 
to the grandmother. 

“ Have no fear, grandmother,” said Uncle in a re¬ 
assuring voice, “ I shall not punish either you or my¬ 
self by doing so. We are all together now, and pray 
God we may continue so for long.” 

Brigitta now drew the Uncle aside towards a corner 
of the room and showed him the hat with the feathers, 
explaining to him how it came there, and adding that 
of course she could not take such a thing from a 
child. 

But the grandfather looked towards Heidi without 
any displeasure of countenance and said, “ The hat is 
hers, and if she does not wish to wear it any more she 
has a right to say so and to give it to you, so take 
it, pray.” 


SUNDAY BELLS 


215 


Brigitta was highly delighted at this. “ It is well 
worth more than ten shillings! ” she said as she held 
it up for further admiration. “ And what a blessing 
Heidi has brought home with her from Frankfurt! 
I have thought sometimes that it might be good to 
send Peter there for a little while: what do you think, 
Uncle? ’’ 

A merry look came into the grandfather’s eye. He 
thought it would do Peter no harm, but he had better 
wait for a good opportunity before starting. At this 
moment the subject of their conversation himself 
rushed in, evidently in a great hurry, knocking his 
head violently against the door in his haste, so that 
everything in the room rattled. Gasping and breath¬ 
less he stood still after this and held out a letter. 
This was another great event, for such a thing had 
never happened before; the letter was addressed to 
Heidi and had been delivered at the post-office in 
Dorfli. They all sat down round the table to hear 
what was in it, for Heidi opened it at once and read 
it without hesitation. The letter was from Clara. 
The latter wrote that the house had been so dull since 
Heidi left that she did not know how to bear herself, 
and she had at last persuaded her father to take her 
to the baths at Ragatz in the coming autumn; grand¬ 
mamma had arranged to join them there, and they 
both were looking forward to paying her and her 
grandfather a visit. And grandmamma sent a 
further message to Heidi which was that the latter 
had done quite right to take the rolls to the grand¬ 
mother, and so that she might not have to eat them 


2I6 


HEIDI 


dry, she was sending some coffee, which was already 
on its way, and grandmamma hoped when she came 
to the Aim in the autumn that Heidi would take her 
to see her old friend. 

There were exclamations of pleasure and astonish¬ 
ment on hearing all this news, and so much to talk 
and ask about that even the grandfather did not 
notice how the time was passing; there was general 
delight at the thought of the coming days, and even 
more at the meeting which had taken place on this 
one, and the grandmother spoke and said, “ The hap¬ 
piest of all things is when an old friend comes and 
greets us as in former times; the heart is comforted 
with the assurance that some day everything that we 
have loved will be given back to us. You will come 
soon again, uncle, and you child, to-morrow? ” 

The old man and Heidi promised her faithfully 
to do so; then it was time to break up the party, 
and these two went back up the mountain. As they 
had been greeted with bells when they made their 
journey down in the morning, so now they were 
accompanied by the peaceful evening chimes as they 
climbed to the hut, which had quite a Sunday-like ap¬ 
pearance as it stood bathed in the light of the low 
evening sun. 

But when grandmamma comes next autumn there 
will be many fresh joys and surprises both for Heidi 
and grandmother; without doubt a proper bed will 
be put up in the hay-loft, for wherever grandmamma 
steps in, there everything is soon in right order, out¬ 
side and in. 





T he kind doctor who had given the order that 
Heidi was to be sent home was walking 
along one of the broad streets towards Herr 
Sesemann’s house. It was a sunny September morn¬ 
ing, so full of light and sweetness that it seemed as 
if everybody must rejoice. But the doctor walked 
with his eyes fastened to the ground and did not once 
lift them to the blue sky above him. There was an 
expression of sadness on his face, formerly so cheer¬ 
ful, and his hair had grown greyer since the spring. 
The doctor had had an only daughter, who, after 
his wife’s death, had been his sole and constant com¬ 
panion, but only a few months previously death had 
deprived him of his dear child, and he had never 
been the same bright and cheery man since. 

Sebastian opened the door to him, greeting him 
with every mark of respectful civility, for the doctor 
was not only the most cherished friend of the master 
and his daughter, but had by his kindness won the 
hearts of the whole household. 

“ Everything as usual, Sebastian? ” asked the 
doctor in his pleasant voice as he preceded Sebastian 
up the stairs. 

“I am glad you have come, doctor,” exclaimed 

Herr Sesemann as the latter entered. “We must 

217 





2i8 


HEIDI 


really have another talk over this Swiss journey; do 
you still adhere to your decision, even though Clara 
is decidedly improving in health?” 

“ My dear Sesemann, I never knew such a man as 
you! ” said the doctor as he sat down beside his 
friend. “ I really wish your mother was here; every¬ 
thing would be clear and straightforward then and 
she would soon put things in right train. You sent 
for me three times yesterday only to ask me the 
same question, though you know what I think.” 

“ Yes, I know, it’s enough to make you out of 
patience with me; but you must understand, dear 
friend ”— and Herr Sesemann laid his hand implor¬ 
ingly on the doctor’s shoulder —“ that I feel I have 
not the courage to refuse the child what I have been 
promising her all along, and for months now she has 
been living on the thought of it day and night. She 
bore this last bad attack so patiently because she 
was buoyed up with the hope that she should soon 
start on her Swiss journey, and see her friend Heidi 
again; and now must I tell the poor child, who has 
to give up so many pleasures, that this visit she has 
so long looked forward to must also be cancelled? I 
really have not the courage to do it.” 

“ You must make up your mind to it, Sesemann,” 
said the doctor with authority, and as his friend con¬ 
tinued silent and dejected he went on after a pause, 
“ Consider yourself how the matter stands. Clara 
has not had such a bad summer as this last one for 
years. Only the worst results would follow from the 
fatigue of such a journey, and it is out of the question 


PREPARATIONS 


219 


for her. And then we are already in September, and 
although it may still be warm and fine up there, it 
may just as likely be already very cold. The days 
too are growing short, and as Clara cannot spend the 
night up there she would only have a two hours’ visit 
at the outside. The journey from Ragatz would take 
hours, for she would have to be carried up the 
mountain in a chair. In short, Sesemann, it is im¬ 
possible. But I will go in with you and talk to Clara; 
she is a reasonable child, and I will tell her what my 
plans are. Next May she shall be taken to the baths 
and stay there for the cure until it is quite hot 
weather. Then she can be carried up the mountain 
from time to time, and when she is stronger she will 
enjoy these excursions far more than she would now. 
Understand, Sesemann, that if we want to give the 
child a chance of recovery we must use the utmost 
care and watchfulness.” 

Herr Sesemann, who had listened to the doctor in 
sad and submissive silence, now suddenly jumped up. 
“Doctor,” he said, “tell me truly: have you really 
any hope of her final recovery? ” 

The doctor shrugged his shoulders. “ Very little,” 
be replied quietly. “ But, friend, think of my trouble. 
You have still a beloved child to look for you and 
greet you on your return home. You do not come 
back to an empty house and sit down to a solitary 
meal. And the child is happy and comfortable at 
home too. If there is much that she has to give up, 
she has on the other hand many advantages. No, 
Sesemann, you are not so greatly to be pitied — you 


220 


HEIDI 


have still the happiness of being together. Think 
of my lonely house! ’’ 

Herr Sesemann was now striding up and down the 
room as was his habit when deeply engaged in 
thought. Suddenly he came to a pause beside his 
friend and laid his hand on his shoulder. “ Doctor, 
I have an idea; I cannot bear to see you look as you 
do; you are no longer the same man. You must be 
taken out of yourself for a while, and what do you 
think I propose? That you shall take the journey 
and go and pay Heidi a visit in our name.” 

The doctor was taken aback at this sudden proposal 
and wanted to make objections, but his friend gave 
him no time to say anything. He was so delighted 
with his idea, that he seized the doctor by the arm 
and drew him into Clara’s room. The kind doctor 
was always a welcome visitor to Clara, for he gener¬ 
ally had something amusing to tell her. Lately, it 
is true, he had been graver, but Clara knew the reason 
why and would have given much to see him his old 
lively self again. She held out her hand to him as 
he came up to her; he took a seat beside her, and her 
father also drew up his chair, and taking Clara’s 
hand in his began to talk to her of the Swiss journey 
and how he himself had looked forward to it. He 
passed as quickly as he could over the main point 
that it was now impossible for her to undertake it, 
for he dreaded the tears that would follow; but he 
went on without pause to tell her of his new plan, and 
dwelt on the great benefit it would be to his friend 
if he could be persuaded to take this holiday. 


PREPARATIONS 


221 


The tears were indeed swimming in the blue eyes, 
although Clara struggled to keep them down for her 
father’s sake, but it was a bitter disappointment to 
give up the journey, the thought of which had been 
her only joy and solace during the lonely hours of 
her long illness. She knew, however, that her 
father would never refuse her a thing unless he was 
certain that it would be harmful for her. So she 
swallowed her tears as well as she could and turned 
her thoughts to the one hope still left her. Taking 
the doctor’s hand and stroking it, she said plead¬ 
ingly,— 

“ Dear doctor, you will go and see Heidi, won’t 
you? and then you can come and tell me all about 
it, what it is like up there, and what Heidi and the 
grandfather, and Peter and the goats do all day. I 
know them all so well! And then you can take what 
I want to send to Heidi; I have thought about it 
all, and also something for the grandmother. Do 
pray go, dear doctor, and I will take as much cod 
liver oil as you like.” 

Whether this promise finally decided the doctor 
it is impossible to say, but it is certain that he smiled 
and said,— 

“ Then I must certainly go, Clara, for you will then 
get as plump and strong as your father and I wish 
to see you. And have you decided when I am to 
start? ” 

“ To-morrow morning — early if possible,” replied 
Clara. 

“Yes, she is right,” put in Herr Sesemann; “the 


222 


HEIDI 


sun is shining and the sky is blue, and there is no 
time to be lost; it is a pity to miss a single one of 
these days on the mountain.” 

The doctor could not help laughing. “ You will be 
reproaching me next for not being there already; 
well, I must go and make arrangements for getting 
off.” 

But Clara would not let him go until she had given 
him endless messages for Heidi, and had explained 
all he was to look at so as to give her an exact 
description on his return. Her presents she would 
send round later, as Fraulein Rottenmeier must first 
help her to pack them up; at that moment she was out 
on one of her excursions into the town which al¬ 
ways kept her engaged for some time. The doctor 
promised to obey Clara’s directions in every particu¬ 
lar; he would start some time during the following 
day if not the first thing in the morning, and would 
bring back a faithful account of his experiences and 
of all he saw and heard. 

The servants of a household have a curious faculty 
of divining what is going on before they are actually 
told about anything. Sebastian and Tinette must 
have possessed this faculty in a high degree, for 
even as the doctor was going downstairs, Tinette, 
who had been rung for, entered Clara’s room. 

“ Take that box and bring it back filled with the 
soft cakes which we have with coffee,” said Clara, 
pointing to a box which had been brought long be¬ 
fore in preparation for this. Tinette took it up, and 
carried it out, dangling it contemptuously in her hand. 


PREPARATIONS 


223 


“ Hardly worth the trouble I should have thought/* 
she said pertly as she left the room. 

As Sebastian opened the door for the doctor he 
said with a bow, “ Will the Herr Doctor be so kind 
as to give the little miss my greetings? ” 

“ I see,** said the doctor, “ you know then already 
that I am off on a journey.” 

Sebastian hesitated and gave an awkward little 
cough. “ I am — I have — I hardly know myself 
O yes, I remember; I happened to pass through the 
dining-room and caught little miss*s name, and I put 
two and two together — and so I thought—** 

“ I see, I see,** smiled the doctor, “ one can find out 
a great many thinks by thinking. Good-bye till I see 
you again, Sebastian, I will be sure and give your 
message.** 

The doctor was hastening off when he met with a 
sudden obstacle; the violent wind had prevented 
Fraulein Rottenmeier prosecuting her walk any 
farther, and she was just returning and had reached 
the door as he was coming out. The white shawl 
she wore was so blown out by the wind that she 
looked like a ship in full sail. The doctor drew back, 
but Fraulein Rottenmeier had always evinced 
peculiar appreciation and respect for this man, and 
she also drew back with exaggerated politeness to 
let him pass. The two stood for a few seconds, each 
anxious to make way for the other, but a sudden gust 
of wind sent Fraulein Rottenmeier flying with all her 
sails almost into the doctor*s arms, and she had to 
pause and recover herself before she could shake 


224 


HEIDI 


hands mtli the doctor with becoming decorum. She 
was put out at having been forced to enter in so un¬ 
dignified a manner, but the doctor had a way of 
smoothing people’s ruffled feathers, and she was soon 
listening with her usual composure while he in¬ 
formed her of his intended journey, begging her in 
his most conciliatory voice to pack up the parcels 
for Heidi as she alone knew how to pack. And then 
he took his leave. 

Clara quite expected to have a long tussle with 
Fraulein Rottenmeier before she would get the latter 
to consent to sending all the things that she had 
collected as presents for Heidi. But this time she 
was mistaken, for Fraulein Rottenmeier was in a 
more than usually good temper. She cleared the 
large table so that all the things for Heidi could be 
spread out upon it and packed under Clara’s own 
eyes. It was no light job, for the presents were of 
all shapes and sizes. First there was the little warm 
cloak with a hood, which had been designed by Clara 
herself, in order that Heidi during the coming winter 
might be able to go and see grandmother when she 
liked, and not have to wait till her grandfather 
could take her wrapped up in a sack to keep her from 
freezing. Then came a thick warm shawl for the 
grandmother, in which she could wrap herself well 
up and not feel the cold when the wind came sweep¬ 
ing in such terrible gusts round the house. The next 
object was the large box full of cakes; these were 
also for the grandmother, that she might have some¬ 
thing to eat with her coffee besides bread. An im- 


PREPARATIONS 


225 


mense sausage was the next article; this had been 
originally intended for Peter, who never had any¬ 
thing but bread and cheese, but Clara had altered her 
mind, fearing that in his delight he might eat it all 
up at once and make himself ill. So she arranged 
to send it to Brigitta, who could take some for her-' 
self and the grandmother and give Peter his portion 
out by degrees. A packet of tobacco was a present 
for grandfather, who was fond of his pipe as he sat 
resting in the evening. Finally there was a whole 
lot of mysterious little bags, and parcels, and boxes, 
which Clara had had especial pleasure in collecting, 
as each was to be a joyful surprise for Heidi as she 
opened it. The work came to an end at last, and 
an imposing-looking package lay on the floor ready 
for transport. Fraulein Rottenmeier looked at it 
with satisfaction, lost in the consideration of the art 
of packing. Clara eyed it too with pleasure, pictur¬ 
ing Heidi’s exclamations and jumps of joy and sur¬ 
prise when the huge parcel arrived at the hut. 

And now Sebastian came in, and lifting the package 
on to his shoulder, carried it off to be forwarded at 
once to the doctor’s house. 



T he early light of morning lay rosy red upon 
the mountains, and a fresh breeze rustled 
through the fir trees and set their ancient 
branches waving to and fro. The sound awoke Heidi 
and she opened her eyes. The roaring in the trees 
always stirred a strong emotion within her and 
seemed to drew her irresistibly to them. So she 
jumped out of bed and dressed herself as quickly as 
she could, but it took her some time even then, for 
she was careful now to be always clean and tidy. 

When she went down her ladder she found her 
grandfather had already left the hut. He was stand¬ 
ing outside looking at the sky and examining the 
landscape as he did every morning, to see what sort 
of weather it was going to be. 

Little pink clouds were floating over the sky, that 
was growing brighter and bluer with every minute, 
while the heights and the meadow lands were turn¬ 
ing gold under the rising sun, which was just appear¬ 
ing above the topmost peaks. 

“ O how beautiful! how beautiful! Good-moming, 
grandfather! ’’ cried Heidi, running out. 

“What, you are awake already, are you?” he 

answered, giving her a morning greeting. 

226 





A VISITOR 


227 

Then Heidi ran round to the fir trees to enjoy the 
sound she loved so well, and with every fresh gust of 
wind which came roaring through their branches she 
gave a fresh jump and cry of delight. 

Meanwhile the grandfather had gone to milk the 
goats; this done he brushed and washed them, ready 
for their mountain excursion, and brought them out 
of their shed. As soon as Heidi caught sight of her 
two friends she ran and embraced them, and they 
bleated in return, while they vied with each other 
in showing their affection by poking their heads 
against her and trying which could get nearest her, 
so that she was almost crushed between them. But 
Heidi was not afraid of them, and when the lively 
Little Bear gave rather too violent a thrust, she only 
said, “ No, Little Bear, you are pushing like the 
Great Turk,” and Little Bear immediately drew back 
his head and left off his rough attentions, while Little 
Swan lifted her head and put on an expression as 
much as to say, “ No one shall ever accuse me of 
behaving like the Great Turk.” For White Swan 
was a rather more distinguished person than Brown 
Bear. 

And now Peter’s whistle was heard and all the 
goats came along, leaping and springing, and Heidi 
soon found herself surrounded by the whole flock, 
pushed this way and that by their obstreperous greet¬ 
ings, but at last she managed to get through them to 
where Snowflake was standing, for the young goat 
had in vain striven to reach her. 

Peter now gave a last tremendous whistle, in order 


228 


HEIDI 


to startle the goats and drive them off, for he wanted 
to get near himself to say something to Heidi. The 
goats sprang aside and he came up to her. 

“ Can you come out with me to-day? ” he asked, 
evidently unwilling to hear her refuse. 

“ I am afraid I cannot, Peter,” she answered. “ I 
am expecting them every minute from Frankfurt, and 
I must be at home when they come.” 

“ You have said the same thing for days now,” 
grumbled Peter. 

“ I must continue to say it till they come,” replied 
Heidi. “ How can you think, Peter, that I would 
be away when they came ? As if I could do such 
a thing? ” 

” They would find Uncle at home,” he answered 
with a snarling voice. 

But at this moment the grandfather’s stentorian 
voice was heard. “ Why is the army not marching 
forward? Is it the field-marshal who is missing or 
some of the troops? ” 

Whereupon Peter turned and went off, swinging 
his stick round so that it whistled through the air, 
and the goats, who understood the signal, started at 
full trot for their mountain pasture, Peter following 
in their wake. 

Since Heidi had been back with her grandfather 
things came now and then into her mind of which 
she had never thought in former days. So now, with 
great exertion, she put her bed in order every morn¬ 
ing, patting and stroking it till she had got it per¬ 
fectly smooth and flat. Then she went about the 


A VISITOR 


229 


room downstairs, put each chair back in its place, 
and if she found anything lying about she put it in the 
cupboard. After that she fetched a duster, climbed 
on a chair, and rubbed the table till it shone again. 
When the grandfather came in later he would look 
round well pleased and say to himself, “We look like 
Sunday every day now; Heidi did not go abroad for 
nothing.” 

After Peter had departed and she and her grand¬ 
father had breakfasted, Heidi began her daily work as 
usual, but she did not get on with it very fast. It 
was so lovely out of doors to-day, and every minute 
something happened to interrupt her in her work. 
Now it was a bright beam of sun shining cheerfully 
through the open window, and seeming to say, 
“ Come out, Heidi, come out! ” Heidi felt she could 
not stay indoors, and she ran out in answer to the 
call. The sunlight lay sparkling on everything 
around the hut and on all the mountains and far 
away along the valley, and the grass slope looked so 
golden and inviting that she was obliged to sit down 
for a few minutes and look about her. Then she 
suddenly remembered that her stool was left standing 
in the middle of the floor and that the table had not 
been rubbed, and she jumped up and ran inside again. 
But it was not long before the fir trees began their 
old song; Heidi felt it in all her limbs, and again the 
desire to run outside was irresistible, and she was off 
to play and leap to the tune of the waving branches. 
The grandfather, who was busy in his work-shed, 
stepped out from time to time smiling to watch her at 


230 


HEIDI 


her gambols. He had just gone back to his work on 
one of these occasions when Heidi called out, 
“ Grandfather! grandfather! Come, come! ’’ 

He stepped quickly out, almost afraid something 
had happened to the child, but he saw her running 
towards where the mountain path descended, crying, 
“ They are coming! they are coming! and the doctor 
is in front of them! ” 

Heidi rushed forward to welcome her old friend, 
who held out his hands in greeting to her. When she 
came up to him she clung to his outstretched arm, and 
exclaimed in the joy of her heart, “ Good-morning, 
doctor, and thank you ever so many times.” 

“ God bless you, child! what have you got to thank 
me for? ” asked the doctor, smiling. 

“ For being at home again with grandfather,” the 
child explained. 

The doctor’s face brightened as if a sudden ray of 
sunshine had passed across it; he had not expected 
such a reception as this. Lost in the sense of his 
loneliness he had climbed the mountain without heed¬ 
ing how beautiful it was on every side, and how more 
and more beautiful it became the higher he got. He 
had quite thought that Heidi would have forgotten 
him; she had seen so little of him, and he had felt 
rather like one bearing a message of disappointment, 
anticipating no great show of favor, coming as he did 
without the expected friends. But instead, here was 
Heidi, her eyes dancing for joy, and full of gratitude 
and affection, clinging to the arm of her kind friend. 

He took her by the hand with fatherly tenderness. 


A VISITOR 


231 

‘‘ Take me now to your grandfather, Heidi, and show 
me where you live.*^ 

But Heidi still remained standing, looking down 
the path with a questioning gaze. ‘‘ Where are Clara 
and grandmother? ” she asked. 

“ Ah, now I have to tell you something which you 
will be as sorry about as I am,” answered the doctor. 
“ You see, Heidi, I have come alone. Clara was very 
ill and could not travel, and so the grandmother 
stayed behind too. But next spring, when the days 
grow warm and long again, they are coming here 
for certain.” 

Heidi was greatly concerned; she could not at first 
bring herself to believe that what she had for so long 
been picturing to herself was not going to happen 
after all. She stood motionless for a second or two, 
overcome by the unexpected disappointment. The 
doctor said nothing further; all around lay the silence, 
only the sighing of the fir trees could be heard from 
where they stood. Then Heidi suddenly remem¬ 
bered why she had run down there, and that the 
doctor had really come. She lifted her eyes and saw 
the sad expression in his as he looked down at her; 
she had never seen him with that look on his face 
when she was in Frankfurt. It went to Heidi’s 
heart; she could not bear to see anybody unhappy, 
especially her dear doctor. No doubt it was because 
Clara and grandmother could not come, and so she 
began to think how best she might console him. 

“ Oh, it won’t be very long to wait for spring, and 
then they will be sure to come,” she said in a reassur- 


232 


HEIDI 


ing voice. “ Time passes very quickly with us, and 
then they will be able to stay longer when they are 
here, and Clara will be pleased at that. Now let us 
go and find grandfather.’* 

Hand in hand with her friend she climbed up to 
the hut. She was so anxious to make the doctor 
happy again that she began once more assuring him 
that the winter passed so quickly on the mountain 
that it was hardly to be taken account of, and that 
summer would be back again before they knew it, 
and she became so convinced of the truth of her own 
words that she called out quite cheerfully to her 
grandfather as they approached, ‘‘They have not 
come to-day, but they will be here in a very short 
time.” 

The doctor was no stranger to the grandfather, for 
the child had talked to him so much about her friend. 
The old man held out his hand to his guest in friendly 
greeting. Then the two men sat down in front of 
the hut, and Heidi had her little place too, for the 
doctor beckoned her to come and sit beside him. 
The doctor told Uncle how Herr Sesemann had in¬ 
sisted on his taking this journey, and he felt himself 
it would do him good as he had not been quite the 
thing for a long time. Then he whispered to Heidi 
that there was something being brought up the 
mountain which had travelled with him from Frank¬ 
furt, and which would give her even more pleasure 
than seeing the old doctor. Heidi got into a great 
state of excitement on hearing this, wondering what 
it could be. The old man urged the doctor to spend 


A VISITOR 


233 


as many of the beautiful autumn days on the 
mountain as he could, and at least to come up when¬ 
ever it was line; he could not offer him a lodging, as 
he had no place to put him; he advised the doctor, 
however, not to go back to Ragatz, but to stay at 
Dorfli, where there was a clean tidy little inn. Then 
the doctor could come up every morning, which 
would do him no end of good, and if he liked, he, the 
grandfather, would act as his guide to any part of 
the mountains he would like to see. The doctor was 
delighted with this proposal, and it was settled that 
it should be as the grandfather suggested. 

Meanwhile the sun had been climbing up the sky, 
and it was now noon. The wind had sunk and the 
fir trees stood motionless. The air was still wonder¬ 
fully warm and mild for that height, while a delicious 
freshness was mingled with the warmth of the sun. 

Aim-Uncle now rose and went indoors, returning 
in a few minutes with a table which he placed in 
front of the seat. 

“ There, Heidi, now run in and bring us what we 
want for the table,” he said. “ The doctor must take 
us as he finds us; if the food is plain, he will acknowl¬ 
edge that the dining-room is pleasant.” 

“ I should think so indeed,” replied the doctor as 
he looked down over the sun-lit valley, “ and I ac¬ 
cept the kind invitation; everything must taste good 
up here.” 

Heidi ran backwards and forwards as busy as a bee 
and brought out everything she could find in the cup¬ 
board, for she did not know how to be pleased enough 


234 


HEIDI 


that she could help to entertain the doctor. The 
grandfather meanwhile had been preparing the meal, 
and now appeared with a steaming jug of milk and 
golden-brown toasted cheese. Then he cut some 
thin slices from the meat he had cured himself in the 
pure air, and the doctor enjoyed his dinner better 
than he had for a whole year past. 

“ Our Clara must certainly come up here,” he said, 
“it would make her quite a different person, and if 
she ate for any length of time as I have to-day, she 
would grow plumper than any one has ever known 
her before.” 

As he spoke a man was seen coming up the path 
carrying a large package on his back. When he 
reached the hut he threw it on the ground and drew 
in two or three good breaths of the mountain air. 

“Ah, here’s what travelled with me from Frank¬ 
furt,” said the doctor, rising, and he went up to the 
package and began undoing it, Heidi looking on in 
great expectation. After he had released it from its 
heavy outer covering, “ There, child,” he said, “ now 
you can go on unpacking your treasures yourself.” 

Heidi undid her presents one by one until they were 
all displayed; she could not speak the while for 
wonder and delight. Not till the doctor went up to 
her again and opened the large box to show Heidi 
the cakes that were for the grandmother to eat with 
her coffee, did she at last give a cry of joy, exclaim¬ 
ing, “ Now grandmother will have nice things to eat,” 
and she wanted to pack everything up again and 
start at once to give them to her. But the grand- 


A VISITOR 


235 

father said he should walk down with the doctor that 
evening and she could go with them and take the 
things. Heidi now found the packet of tobacco 
which she ran and gave to her grandfather; he was so 
pleased with it that he immediately filled his pipe with 
some, and the two men then sat down together again, 
the smoke curling up from their pipes as they talked 
of all kinds of things, while Heidi continued to 
examine first one and then another of her presents. 
Suddenly she ran up to them, and standing in front 
of the doctor waited till there was a pause in the con¬ 
versation, and then said, “ No, the other thing has 
not given me more pleasure than seeing you, doctor.’* 

The two men could not help laughing, and the 
doctor answered that he should never have thought 
it. 

As the sun began to sink behind the mountains the 
doctor rose, thinking it was time to return to Dorfli 
and seek for quarters. The grandfather carried the 
cakes and the shawl and the large sausage, and the 
doctor took Heidi’s hand, so they all three started 
down the mountain. Arrived at Peter’s home Heidi 
bid the others good-bye; she was to wait at grand¬ 
mother’s till her grandfather, who was going on to 
Dorfli with his guest, returned to fetch her. As the 
doctor shook hands with her she asked, “ Would you 
like to come out with the goats to-morrow morn¬ 
ing? ” for she could think of no greater treat to offer 
him. 

‘‘ Agreed! ” answered the doctor, ‘‘ we will go to¬ 
gether.” 


HEIDI 


236 

Heidi now ran in to the grandmother; she first, 
with some effort, managed to carry in the box of 
cakes; then she ran out again and brought in the 
sausage — for her grandfather had put the presents 
down by the door — and then a third time for the 
shawl. She had placed them as close as she could to 
the grandmother, so that the latter might be able 
to feel them and understand what was there. The 
shawl she laid over the old woman’s knees. 

“They are all from Frankfurt, from Clara and 
grandmamma,” she explained to the astonished 
grandmother and Brigitta, the latter having watched 
her dragging in all the heavy things, unable to 
imagine what was happening. 

“ And you are very pleased with the cakes, aren’t 
you, grandmother? taste how soft they are!” said 
Heidi over and over again, to which the grandmother 
continued to answer, “Yes, yes, Heidi, I should 
think so! what kind people they must be! ” And 
then she would pass her hand over the warm thick 
shawl and add, “ This will be beautiful for the cold 
winter! I never thought I should ever have such a 
splendid thing as this to put on.” 

Heidi could not help feeling some surprise at the 
grandmother seeming to take more pleasure in the 
shawl than the cakes. Meanwhile Brigitta stood gaz¬ 
ing at the sausage with almost an expression of awe. 
She had hardly in her life seen such a monster 
sausage, much less owned one, and she could scarcely 
believe her eyes. She shook her head and said doubt¬ 
fully, “ I must ask Uncle what it is meant for.” 


A VISITOR 


237 

But Heidi answered without hesitation, “ It is 
meant for eating, not for anything else.” 

Peter came tumbling in at this minute. “ Uncle is 
just behind me, he is coming —” he began, and then 
stopped short, for his eye had caught sight of the 
sausage, and he was too much taken aback to say 
more. But Heidi understood that her grandfather 
was near and so said good-bye to grandmother. The 
old man now never passed the door without going in 
to wish the old woman good-day, and she liked to 
hear his footstep approaching, for he always had a 
cheery word for her. But to-day it was growing late 
for Heidi, who was always up with the lark, and the 
grandfather would never let her go to bed after 
hours; so this evening he only called good-night 
through the open door and started home at once with 
the child, and the two climbed under the starlit sky 
back to their peaceful dwelling. 



T he next morning the doctor climbed up from* 
Dorfli with Peter and the goats. The kindly 
gentleman tried now and then to enter into 
conversation with the boy, but his attempts failed, for 
he could hardly get a word out of Peter in answer to 
his questions. Peter was not easily persuaded to 
talk. So the party silently made their way up to the 
hut, where they found Heidi awaiting them with her 
two goats, all three as fresh and lively as the morn¬ 
ing sun among the mountains. 

“Are you coming to-day?” said Peter, repeating 
the words with which he daily greeted her, either in 
question or in summons. 

“ Of course I am, if the doctor is coming too,” re¬ 
plied Heidi. 

Peter cast a sidelong glance at the doctor. The 
grandfather now came out with the dinner bag, and 
after bidding good-day to the doctor he went up to 
Peter and slung it over his neck. It was heavier than 
usual, for Alm-Uncle had added some meat to-day, 
as he thought the doctor might like to have his lunch 
out and eat it when the children did. Peter gave a 
grin, for he felt sure there was something more than 
ordinary in it. 


238 




A COMPENSATION 


239 


And so the ascent began. The goats as usual came 
thronging around Heidi, each trying to be nearest 
her, until at last she stood still and said, “ Now you 
must go on in front and behave properly, and not 
keep on turning back and pushing and poking me, for 
I want to talk to the doctor,” and she gave Snowflake 
a little pat on the back and told her to be good and 
obedient. By degrees she managed to make her way 
out from among them and joined the doctor, who 
took her by the hand. He had no difficulty now in 
conversing with his companion, for Heidi had a great 
deal to say about the goats and their peculiarities, and 
about the flowers and the rocks and the birds, and so 
they clambered on and reached their resting-place be¬ 
fore they were aware. Peter had sent a good many 
unfriendly glances towards the doctor on the way 
up, which might have quite alarmed the latter if he 
had happened to notice them, which, fortunately, he 
did not. 

Heidi now led her friend to her favorite spot 
where she was accustomed to sit and enjoy the 
beauty around her; the doctor followed her example 
and took his seat beside her on the warm grass. 
Over the heights and over the far green valley hung 
the golden glory of the autumn day. The great 
snow-field sparkled in the bright sunlight, and the two 
grey rocky peaks rose in their ancient majesty against 
the dark blue sky. A soft, light morning breeze blew 
deliciously across the mountain, gently stirring the 
blue^bells that still remained of the summer’s wealth 
of flowers, their slender heads nodding cheerfully in 


240 


HEIDI 


the sunshine. Overhead the great bird was flying 
round and round in wide circles, but to-day he made 
no sound; poised on his large wings he floated con¬ 
tentedly in the blue ether. Heidi looked about her 
first at one thing and then at another. The waving 
flowers, the blue sky, the bright sunshine, the happy 
bird — everything was so beautiful! so beautiful! 
Her eyes were alight with joy. And now she turned 
to her friend to see if he too were enjoying the beauty. 
The doctor had been sitting thoughtfully gazing 
around him. As he met her glad bright eyes, “ Yes, 
Heidi,” he responded, “ I see how lovely it all is, but 
tell me — if one brings a sad heart up here, how may 
it be healed so that it can rejoice in all this beauty? ” 
“ Oh, but,” exclaimed Heidi, ‘‘ no one is sad up 
here, only in Frankfurt.” 

The doctor smiled and then growing serious again 
he continued, ‘‘ But supposing one is not able to leave 
all the sadness behind at Frankfurt; can you tell me 
anything that will help then? ” 

“ When you do not know what more to do you 
must go and tell everything to God,” answered Heidi 
with decision. 

“ Ah, that is a good thought of yours, Heidi,” said 
the doctor. “ But if it is God Himself who has sent 
the trouble, what can we say to Him then? ” 

Heidi sat pondering for a while; she was sure in 
her heart that God could help out of every trouble. 
She thought over her own experiences and then found 
her answer. 

' Then you must wait/’ she said, “and keep on 


A COMPENSATION 


241 

saying to yourself: God certainly knows of some hap¬ 
piness for us which He is going to bring out of the 
trouble, only we must have patience and not run 
away. And then all at once something happens and 
we see clearly ourselves that God has had some good 
thought in His mind all along; but because we cannot 
see things beforehand, and only know how dread¬ 
fully miserable we are, we think it is always going to 
be so.” 

“ That is a beautiful faith, child, and be sure you 
hold it fast,” replied the doctor. Then he sat on a 
while in silence, looking at the great overshadowing 
mountains and the green, sunlit valley below before 
he spoke again,— 

“ Can you understand, Heidi, that a man may sit 
here with such a shadow over his eyes that he cannot 
feel and enjoy the beauty around him, while the heart 
grows doubly sad knowing how beautiful it could be? 
Can you understand that? ” 

A pain shot through the child’s young happy heart. 
The shadow over the eyes brought to her re¬ 
membrance the grandmother, who would never again 
be able to see the sunlight and the beauty up here. 
This was Heidi’s great sorrow, which re-awoke each 
time she thought about the darkness. She did not 
speak for a few minutes, for her happiness was in¬ 
terrupted by this sudden pang. Then in a grave 
voice she said,— 

‘‘ Yes, I can understand it. And I know this, that 
then one must say one of grandmother’s hymns, 
which bring the light back a little, and often make it 


242 


HEIDI 


so bright for her that she is quite happy again. 
Grandmother herself told me this.’’ 

“ Which hymns are they, Heidi? ” asked the doctor. 

“ I only know the one about the sun and the beauti¬ 
ful garden, and some of the verses of the long one, 
which are favorites with her, and she always likes 
me to read them to her two or three times over,” 
replied Heidi. 

“ Well, say the verses to me then, I should like to 
hear them too,” and the doctor sat up in order to 
listen better. 

Heidi put her hands together and sat collecting her 
thoughts for a second or two: “ Shall I begin at the 
verse that grandmother says gives her a feeling of 
hope and confidence? ” 

The doctor nodded his assent, and Heidi began,— 

Let not your heart be troubled 
Nor fear your soul dismay. 

There is a wise Defender 
And He will be your stay. 

Where you have failed. He conquers, 

See, how the foeman flies! 

And all your tribulation 
Is turned to glad surprise. 

If for a while it seemeth 
His mercy is withdrawn. 

That He no longer careth 
For His wandering child forlorn, 

Doubt not His great compassion, 

His love can never tire. 


A COMPENSATION 


243 


To those who wait in patience 
He gives their heart’s desire. 

Heidi suddenly paused; she was not sure if the 
doctor was still listening. He was sitting motionless 
with his hand before his eyes. She thought he had 
fallen asleep; when he awoke, if he wanted to hear 
more verses, she would go on. There was no sound 
anywhere. The doctor sat in silence, but he was 
certainly not asleep. His thoughts had carried him 
back to a long past time: he saw himself as a little 
boy standing by his dear mother’s chair; she had her 
arm round his neck and was saying the very verses 
to him that Heidi had just recited — words which he 
had not heard now for years. He could hear his 
mother’s voice and see her loving eyes resting upon 
him, and as Heidi ceased the old dear voice seemed 
to be saying other things to him; and the words he 
heard again must have carried him far, far away, for 
it was a long time before he stirred or took his 
hand from his eyes. When at last he roused him¬ 
self he met Heidi’s eyes looking wonderingly at 
him. 

“ Heidi,” he said, taking the child’s hand in his, 
“ that was a beautiful h5min of yours,” and there 
was a happier ring in his voice as he spoke. ‘‘We 
will come out here together another day, and you 
will let me hear it again.” 

Peter meanwhile had had enough to do in giving 
vent to his anger. It was now some days since Heidi 
had been out with him, and when at last she did 


1244 


HEIDI 


come, there she sat the whole time beside the old 
gentleman, and Peter could not get a word with 
her. He got into a terrible temper, and at last went 
and stood some way back behind the doctor, where 
the latter could not see him, and doubling his fist 
made imaginary hits at the enemy. Presently he 
doubled both fists, and the longer Heidi stayed beside 
the gentleman, the more fiercely did he threaten 
with them. 

Meanwhile the sun had risen to the height which 
Peter knew pointed to the dinner hour. All of a 
sudden he called at the top of his voice, “ It’s dinner 
time.” 

Heidi was rising to fetch the dinner bag so that the 
doctor might eat his where he sat. But he stopped 
her, telling her he was not hungry at all, and only 
cared for a glass of milk, as he wanted to climb up 
a little higher. Then Heidi found that she also was 
not hungry and only wanted milk, and she should 
like, she said, to take the doctor up to the large moss- 
covered rock where Greenfinch had nearly jumped 
down and killed herself. So she ran and explained 
matters to Peter, telling him to go and get milk for 
the two. Peter seemed hardly to understand. 
“ Who is going to eat what is in the bag then? ” he 
asked. 

“ You can have it,” she answered, “ only first make 
haste and get the milk.” 

Peter had seldom performed any task more 
promptly, for he thought of the bag and its con¬ 
tents, which now belonged to him. As soon as the 


A COMPENSATION 


245 

other two were sitting quietly drinking their milk, 
he opened it, and quite trembled for joy at the sight 
of the meat, and he was just putting his hand in to 
draw it out when something seemed to hold him back. 
His conscience smote him at the remembrance of how 
he had stood with his doubled fists behind the doctor, 
who was now giving up to him his whole good dinner. 
He felt as if he could not now enjoy it. But all at 
once he jumped up and ran back to the spot where he 
had stood before, and there held up his open hands 
as a sign that he had no longer any wish to use them 
as fists, and kept them up until he felt he had made 
amends for his past conduct. Then he rushed back 
and sat down to the double enjoyment of a clear con¬ 
science and an unusually satisfying meal. 

Heidi and the doctor climbed and talked for a long 
while, until the latter said it was time for him to be 
going back, and no doubt Heidi would like to go and 
be with her goats. But Heidi would not hear of this, 
as then the doctor would have to go the whole way 
down the mountain alone. She insisted on accom¬ 
panying him as far as the grandfather’s hut, or even 
a little further. She kept hold of her friend’s hand 
all the time, and the whole way she entertained him 
with accounts of this thing and that, showing him the 
spots where the goats loved best to feed, and others 
where in summer the flowers of all colors grew in 
greatest abundance. She could give them all their 
right names, for her grandfather had taught her these 
during the summer months. But at last the doctor 
insisted on her going back; so they bid each other 


HEIDI 


246 

good-night and the doctor continued his descent, 
turning now and again to look back, and each time he 
saw Heidi standing on the same spot and waving her 
hand to him. Even so in the old days had his own 
dear little daughter watched him when he went from 
home. 

It was a bright sunny autumn month. The doctor 
came up to the hut every morning, and thence made 
excursions over the mountain. Aim-Uncle accom¬ 
panied him on some of his higher ascents, when they 
climbed up to the ancient storm-beaten fir trees and 
often disturbed the great bird which rose startled 
from its nest, with the whirr of wings and croakings, 
very near their heads. The doctor found great pleas¬ 
ure in his companion’s conversation, and was aston¬ 
ished at his knowledge of the plants that grew on the 
mountain: he knew the uses of them all, from the 
aromatic fir trees and the dark pines with their 
scented needles, to the curly moss that sprang up 
everywhere about the roots of the trees and the 
smallest plant and tiniest flower. He was as well 
versed also in the ways of the animals, great and 
small, and had many amusing anecdotes to tell of 
these dwellers in caves and holes and in the tops of 
the fir trees. And so the time passed pleasantly and 
quickly for the doctor, who seldom said good-bye to 
the old man at the end of the day without adding, 
“ I never leave you, friend, without having learnt 
something new from you.” 

On some of the very finest days, however, the doc¬ 
tor would wander out again with Heidi, and then the 


A COMPENSATION 


247 


two would sit together as on the first day, and the 
child would repeat her hymns and tell the doctor 
things which she alone knew. Peter sat at a little 
distance from them, but he was now quite reconciled 
in spirit and gave vent to no angry pantomime. 

September had drawn to its close, and now one 
morning the doctor appeared looking less cheerful 
than usual. It was his last day, he said, as he must 
return to Frankfurt, but he was grieved at having to 
say good-bye to the mountain, which he had begun 
to feel quite like home. Alm-Uncle, on his side, 
greatly regretted the departure of his guest, and 
Heidi had been now accustomed for so long to see 
her good friend every day that she could hardly be¬ 
lieve the time had suddenly come to separate. She 
looked up at him in doubt, taken by surprise, but 
there was no help, he must go. So he bid farewell to 
the old man and asked that Heidi might go with him 
part of the return way, and Heidi took his hand and 
went down the mountain with him, still unable to 
grasp the idea that he was going for good. After 
some distance the doctor stood still, and passing his 
hand over the child’s curly head said, “ Now, Heidi, 
you must go back, and I must say good-bye! If only 
I could take you with me to Frankfurt and keep you 
there! ” 

The picture of Frankfurt rose before the child’s 
eyes, its rows of endless houses, its hard streets, and 
even the vision of Fraulein Rottenmeier and Tinette, 
and she answered hesitatingly, “ I would rather that 
you came back to us.” 


HEIDI 


248 

“ Yes, you are right, that would be better. But 
now good-bye, Heidi.” The child put her hand in 
his and looked up at him; the kind eyes looking down 
on her had tears in them. Then the doctor tore him¬ 
self away and quickly continued his descent. 

Heidi remained standing without moving. The 
friendly eyes with the tears in them had gone to her 
heart. All at once she burst into tears and started 
running as fast as she could after the departing figure, 
calling out in broken tones: “ Doctor! doctor! ” 

He turned round and waited till the child reached 
him. The tears were streaming down her face and 
she sobbed out: I will come to Frankfurt with you, 

now at once, and I will stay with you as long as you 
like, only I must just run back and tell grandfather.” 

The doctor laid his hand on her and tried to calm 
her excitement. ‘‘ No, no, dear child,” he said kindly, 
“ not now; you must stay for the present under the 
fir trees, or I should have you ill again. But hear 
now what I have to ask you. If I am ever ill and 
alone, will you come then and stay with me? May I 
know that there would then be some one to look 
after me and care for me? ” 

“ Yes, yes, I will come the very day you send for 
me, and I love you nearly as much as grandfather,” 
replied Heidi, who had not yet got over her distress. 

And so the doctor again bid her good-bye and 
started on his way, while Heidi remained looking 
after him and waving her hand as long as a speck of 
him could be seen. As the doctor turned for the last 


A COMPENSATION 


249 


time and looked back at the waving Heidi and the 
sunny mountain, he said to himself, “ It is good to be 
up there, good for body and soul, and a man might 
learn how to be happy once more.” 


I 



T he snow was lying so high around the hut 
that the windows looked level with the 
ground, and the door had entirely disap¬ 
peared from view. If Alm-Uncle had been up there 
he would have had to do what Peter did daily, for 
fresh snow fell every night. Peter had to get out of 
the window of the sitting-room every morning, and 
if the frost had not been very hard during the night, 
he immediately sank up to his shoulders almost in 
the snow and had to struggle with hands, feet, and 
head to extricate himself. Then his mother handed 
him the large broom, and with this he worked hard 
to make a way to the door. He had to be careful to 
dig the snow well away, or else as soon as the door 
was opened the whole soft mass would fall inside, or, 
if the frost was severe enough, it would have made 
such a wall of ice in front of the house that no one 
could have gone in or out, for the window was only 
big enough for Peter to creep through. The fresh 
snow froze like this in the night sometimes, and this 
was an enjoyable time for Peter, for he would get 
through the window on to the hard, smooth, frozen 
ground, and his mother would hand him out the little 
sleigh, and he could then make his descent to Dorfli 

along any route he chose, for the whole mountain 

250 


WINTER IN DORFLI 


251 


was nothing but one wide, unbroken sleigh road. 

Alm-Uncle had kept his word and was not spending 
the winter in his old home. As soon as the first snow 
began to fall, he had shut up the hut and the outside 
buildings and gone down to Dorfli with Heidi and the 
goats. Near the church was a straggling half-ruined 
building, which had once been the house of a person 
of consequence. A distinguished soldier had lived 
there at one time; he had taken service in Spain and 
had there performed many brave deeds and gathered 
much treasure. When he returned home to Dorfli 
he spent part of his booty in building a fine house, 
with the intention of living in it. But he had been too 
long accustomed to the noise and bustle of arms and 
the world to care for a quiet country life, and he soon 
went off again, and this time did not return. When 
after many long years it seemed certain that he was 
dead, a distant relative took possession of the house, 
but it had already fallen into disrepair, and he had no 
wish to rebuild it. So it was let to poor people, who 
paid but a small rent, and when any part of the build¬ 
ing fell it was allowed to remain. This had now gone 
on for many years. As long ago as when his son 
Tobias was a child Alm-Uncle had rented the tumble- 
dovm old place. Since then it had stood empty, for 
no one could stay in it who had not some idea of how 
to stop up the holes and gaps and make it habitable. 
Otherwise the wind and rain and snow blew into the 
rooms, so that it was impossible even to keep a candle 
alight, and the indwellers would have been frozen to 
death during the long cold winters. Alm-Uncle, 


252 


HEIDI 


however, knew how to mend matters. As soon as 
he made up his mind to spend the winter in Dorfli, 
he rented the old place and worked during the autumn 
to get it sound and tight. In the middle of October 
he and Heidi took up their residence there. 

On approaching the house from the back one came 
first into an open space with a wall on either side, of 
which one was half in ruins. Above this rose the arch 
of an old window thickly overgrown with ivy, which 
spread over the remains of a domed roof that had 
evidently been part of a chapel. A large hall came 
next, which lay open, without doors, to the square 
outside. Here also walls and roof only partially re¬ 
mained, and indeed what was left of the roof looked 
as if it might fall at any minute had it not been for 
two stout pillars that supported it. Aim-Uncle had 
here put up a wooden partition and covered the floor 
with straw, for this was to be the goats’ house. End¬ 
less passages led from this, through the rents of 
which the sky as well as the fields and the road out¬ 
side could be seen at intervals; but at last one came 
to a stout oak door that led into a room that still 
stood intact. Here the walls and the dark wainscot¬ 
ing remained as good as ever, and in the corner was 
an immense stove reaching nearly to the ceiling, on 
the white tiles of which were painted large pictures in 
blue. These represented old castles surrounded with 
trees, and huntsmen riding out with their hounds; or 
else a quiet lake scene, with broad oak trees and a 
man fishing. A seat ran all round the stove so that 
one could sit at one’s ease and study the pictures. 


WINTER IN DORFLI 253 

These attracted Heidi’s attention at once, and she had 
no sooner arrived with her grandfather than she ran 
and seated herself and began to examine them. But 
when she had gradually worked herself round to the 
back, something else diverted her attention. In the 
large space between the stove and the wall four 
planks had been put together as if to make a large 
receptacle for apples; there were no apples, however, 
inside, but something Heidi had no difficulty in recog¬ 
nising, for it was her very own bed, with its hay mat¬ 
tress and sheets, and sack for a coverlid, just as she 
had it up at the hut. Heidi clapped her hands for 
joy and exclaimed, “ O grandfather, this is my room, 
how nice! But where are you going to sleep?” 

“Your room must be near the stove or you will 
freeze,” he replied, “ but you can come and see mine 
too.” 

Heidi got down and skipped across the large room 
after her grandfather, who opened a door at the 
farther end leading into a smaller one which was to 
be his bedroom. Then came another door. Heidi 
pushed it open and stood amazed, for here was an 
immense room like a kitchen, larger than anything 
of the kind that Heidi had seen before. There was 
still plenty of work for the grandfather before this 
room could be finished, for there were holes and 
cracks in the walls through which the wind whistled, 
and yet he had already nailed up so many new planks 
that it looked as if a lot of small cupboards had been 
set up round the room. He had, however, made the 
large old door safe with many screws and nails, as a 


254 


HEIDI 


protection against the outside air, and this was very 
necessary, for just beyond was a mass of ruined build¬ 
ings overgrown with tall weeds, which made a dwell¬ 
ing-place for endless beetles and lizards. 

Heidi was very delighted with her new home, and 
by the morning after their arrival she knew every 
nook and corner so thoroughly that she could take 
Peter over it and show him all that was to be seen; 
indeed she would not let him go till he had examined 
every single wonderful thing contained in it. 

Heidi slept soundly in her comer by the stove; but 
every morning when she first awoke she still thought 
she was on the mountain, and that she must run out¬ 
side at once to see if the fir trees were so quiet be¬ 
cause their branches were weighed down with the 
thick snow. She had to look about her for some min¬ 
utes before she felt quite sure where she was, and a 
certain sensation of trouble and oppression would 
come over her as she grew aware that she was not 
at home in the hut. But then she would hear her 
grandfather’s voice outside, attending to the goats, 
and these would give one or two loud bleats, as if 
calling to her to make haste and go to them, and then 
Heidi was happy again, for she knew she was still at 
home, and she would jump gladly out of bed and run 
out to the animals as quickly as she could. On the 
fourth morning, as soon as she saw her grandfather, 
she said, ‘‘ I must go up to see grandmother to-day; 
she ought not to be alone so long.” 

But the grandfather would not agree to this. 
“ Neither to-day nor to-morrow can you go,” he said; 


WINTER IN DORFLI 255 

the mountain is covered fathom-deep in snow, and 
the snow is still falling; the sturdy Peter can hardly 
get along. A little creature like you would soon be 
smothered by it, and we should not be able to find you 
again. Wait a bit till it freezes, then you will be able 
to walk over the hard snow.” 

Heidi did not like the thought of having to wait, but 
the days were so busy that she hardly knew how they 
went by. 

Heidi now went to school in Dorfli every morning 
and afternoon, and eagerly set to work to learn all 
that was taught her. She hardly ever saw Peter 
there, for as a rule he was absent. The teacher was 
an easy-going man who merely remarked now and 
then, “ Peter is not turning up to-day again, it seems, 
but there is a lot of snow up on the mountain and I 
daresay he cannot get along.” Peter, however, al¬ 
ways seemed able to make his way through the snow 
in the evening when school was over, and he then 
generally paid Heidi a visit. 

At last, after some days, the sun again appeared and 
shone brightly over the white ground, but he went to 
bed again behind the mountains at a very early hour, 
as if he did not find such pleasure in looking down on 
the earth as when everything was green and flowery. 
But then the moon came out clear and large and lit 
up the great white snowfield all through the night, 
and the next morning the whole mountain glistened 
and sparkled like a huge crystal. When Peter got 
out of his window as usual, he was taken by surprise, 
for instead of sinking into the soft snow he fell on the 


HEIDI 


256 

hard ground and went sliding some way down the 
mountain side like a sleigh before he could stop him¬ 
self. He picked himself up and tested the hardness 
of the ground by stamping on it and trying with all 
his might to dig his heels into it, but even then he 
could not break off a single litUe splinter of ice; the 
Aim was frozen hard as iron. This was just what 
Peter had been hoping for, as he knew now that Heidi 
would be able to come up to them. He quickly got 
back into the house, swallowed the milk which his 
mother had put ready for him, thrust a piece of bread 
in his pocket, and said, “ I must be off to school.’* 
“ That’s right, go and learn all you can,” said the 
grandmother encouragingly. Peter crept through 
the window again — the door was quite blocked by 
the frozen snow outside — pulling his little sleigh 
after him, and in another minute was shooting down 
the mountain. 

He went like lightning, and when he reached Dorfli, 
which stood on the direct road to Mayenfeld, he made 
up his mind to go on further, for he was sure he could 
not stop his rapid descent without hurting himself and 
the sleigh too. So down he still went till he reached 
the level ground, where the sleigh came to a pause of 
its own accord. Then he got out and looked round. 
The impetus with which he had made his journey 
down had carried him some little way beyond May¬ 
enfeld. He bethought himself that it was too late to 
get to school now, as lessons would already have be¬ 
gun, and it would take him a good hour to walk back 
to Dorfli. So he might take his time about returning, 


WINTER IN DORFLI 


257 


which he did, and reached Dorfli just as Heidi had got 
home from school and was sitting at dinner with her 
grandfather. Peter walked in, and as on this oc¬ 
casion he had something particular to communicate, 
he began without a pause, exclaiming as he stood still 
in the middle of the room, “ She’s got it now.”. 

“ Got it? what? ” asked the Uncle. “ Your words 
sound quite warlike, general.” 

“ The frost,” explained Peter. 

‘‘ Oh! then now I can go and see grandmother! ” 
said Heidi joyfully, for she had understood Peter’s 
words at once. “ But why were you not at school 
then? You could have come down in the sleigh,” she 
added reproachfully, for it did not agree with Heidi’s 
ideas of good behavior to stay away when it was 
possible to be there. 

“ It carried me on too far and I was too late,” 
Peter replied. 

“ I call that being a deserter,” said the Uncle, “ and 
deserters get their ears pulled, as you know.” 

Peter gave a tug to his cap in alarm, for there was 
no one of whom he stood in so much awe as Aim- 
Uncle. 

“ And an army leader like yourself ought to be 
doubly ashamed of running away,” continued Alm- 
Uncle. ” What would you think of your goats if one 
went off this way and another that, and refused to 
follow and do what was good for them? What would 
you do then? ” 

“ I should beat them,” said Peter promptly. 

“ And if a boy behaved like these unruly goats, and 


HEIDI 


258 

he got a beating for it, what would you say then? ” 

“ Serve him right,” was the answer. 

“ Good, then understand this: next time you let 
your sleigh carry you past the school when you ought 
to be inside at your lessons, come on to me afterwards 
and receive what you deserve.” 

Peter now understood the drift of the old man’s 
questions and that he was the boy who behaved like 
the unruly goats, and he looked somewhat fearfully 
towards the corner to see if anything happened to be 
there such as he used himself on such occasions for 
the punishment of his animals. 

But now the grandfather suddenly said in a cheerful 
voice, “ Come and sit down and have something, and 
afterwards Heidi shall go with you. Bring her back 
this evening and you will find supper waiting for you 
here.” 

This unexpected turn of conversation set Peter 
grinning all over with delight. He obeyed without 
hesitation and took his seat beside Heidi. But the 
child could not eat any more in her excitement at the 
thought of going to see grandmother. She pushed 
the potatoes and toasted cheese which still stood on 
her plate towards him while Uncle was filling his 
plate from the other side, so that he had quite a pile 
of food in front of him, but he attacked it without any 
lack of courage. Heidi ran to the cupboard and 
brought out the warm cloak Clara had sent her; with 
this on and the hood drawn over her head, she was 
all ready for her journey. She stood waiting beside 
Peter, and as soon as his last mouthful had disap- 


WINTER IN DORFLI 


259 


peared she said, “ Come along now.” As the two 
walked together Heidi had much to tell Peter of her 
two goats that had been so unhappy the first day in 
their new stall that they would not eat anything, but 
stood hanging their heads, not even rousing them¬ 
selves to bleat. And when she asked her grandfather 
the reason of this, he told her it was with them as 
with her in Frankfurt, for it was the first time in their 
lives they had come down from the mountain. “ And 
you don’t know what that is, Peter, unless you have 
felt it yourself,” added Heidi. 

The children had nearly reached their destination 
before Peter opened his mouth; he appeared to be so 
sunk in thought that he hardly heard what was said to 
him. As they neared home, however, he stood still 
and said in a somewhat sullen voice, “ I had rather go 
to school even than get what Uncle threatened.” 

Heidi was of the same mind, and encouraged him in 
his good intention. They found Brigitta sitting alone 
knitting, for the grandmother was not very well and 
had to stay the day in bed on account of the cold. 
Heidi had never before missed the old figure in her 
place in the corner, and she ran quickly into the next 
room. There lay grandmother on her little poorly 
covered bed, wrapped up in her warm grey shawl. 

“ Thank God,” she exclaimed as Heidi came run¬ 
ning in; the poor old woman had had a secret fear at 
heart all through the autumn, especially if Heidi was 
absent for any length of time, for Peter had told her 
of a strange gentleman who had come from Frank¬ 
furt, and who had gone out with them and always 


200 


HEIDI 


talked to Heidi, and she had felt sure he had come to 
take her away again. Even when she heard he had 
gone off alone, she still had an idea that a messenger 
would be sent over from Frankfurt to fetch the child. 
Heidi went up to the side of the bed and said, “ Are 
you very ill, grandmother? ” 

“ No, no, child,” answered the old woman reassur¬ 
ingly, passing her hand lovingly over the child’s head, 
“ It’s only the frost that has got into my bones a bit.” 

“ Shall you be quite well then directly it turns warm 
again? ” 

“ Yes, God willing, or even before that, for I want 
to get back to my spinning; I thought perhaps I 
should do a little to-day, but to-morrow I am sure to 
be all right again.” The old woman had detected 
that Heidi was frightened and was anxious to set her 
mind at ease. 

Her words comforted Heidi, who had in truth been 
greatly distressed, for she had never before seen the 
grandmother ill in bed. She now looked at the old 
woman seriously for a minute or two, and then said, 
“ In Frankfurt everybody puts on a shawl to go out 
walking; did you think it was to be worn in bed 
grandmother? ” 

“ I put it on, dear child, to keep myself from freez¬ 
ing, and I am so pleased with it, for my bedclothes 
are not very thick,” she answered. 

“But, grandmother,” continued Heidi, “your bed 
is not right, because it goes downhill at your head 
instead of uphill.” 

“I know it, child, I can feel it,” and the grand- 


WINTER IN DORFLI 261 


mother put up her hand to the thin flat pillow, which 
was little more than a board under her head, to make 
herself more comfortable;the pillow was never very 
thick, and I have lain on it now for so many years that 
it has grown quite flat/’ 

“ Oh, if only I had asked Clara to let me take away 
my Frankfurt bed,” said Heidi. “ I had three large 
pillows, one above the other, so that I could hardly 
sleep, and I used to slip down to try and find a flat 
place, and then I had to pull myself up again, because 
it was proper to sleep there like that. Could you 
sleep like that, grandmother? ” 

“ Oh, yes! the pillows keep one warm, and it is 
easier to breathe when the head is high,” answered 
the grandmother, wearily raising her head as she 
spoke as if trying to find a higher resting-place. “ But 
we will not talk about that, for I have so much that 
other old sick people are without for which I thank 
God; there is the nice bread I get every day, and this 
warm wrap, and your visits, Heidi. Will you read 
me something to-day? ” 

Heidi ran into the next room to fetch the hymn 
book. Then she picked out the favorite hymns one 
after another, for she knew them all by heart now, as 
pleased as the grandmother to hear them again after 
so many days. The grandmother lay with folded 
hands, while a smile of peace stole over the worn, 
troubled face, like one to whom good news has been 
brought. 

Suddenly Heidi paused. “ Grandmother, are you 
feeling quite well again already? ” 


262 


HEIDI 


“ Yes, child, I have grown better while listening to 
you; read it to the end.” 

The child read on, and when she came to the last 
words: — 

** As the eyes grow dim, and darkness 
Closes round, the soul grows clearer. 

Sees the goal to which it travels, 

Gladly feels its home is nearer.” 

the grandmother repeated them once or twice to her¬ 
self, with a look of happy expectation on her face. 
And Heidi took equal pleasure in them, for the pic¬ 
ture of the beautiful sunny day of her return home 
rose before her eyes, and she exclaimed joyfully, 
“ Grandmother, I know exactly what it is like to go 
home.” The old woman did not answer, but she had 
heard Heidi’s words, and the expression that had 
made the child think she was better remained on her 
face. 

A little late • Heidi said, ‘‘ It is growing dark and I 
must go home; I am glad to think that you are quite 
well again.” 

The grandmother took the child’s hand in hers and 
held it closely. “ Yes,” she said, ” I feel quite happy 
again; even if I have to go on lying here, I am con¬ 
tent. No one knows what it is to lie here alone day 
after day, in silence and darkness, without hearing a 
voice or seeing a ray of light. Sad thoughts come 
over me, and I do not feel sometimes as if I could 
bear it any longer or as if it could ever be light again. 
But when you come and read those words to me, then 


WINTER IN DORFLI 263 

I am comforted and my heart rejoices once more.’* 

Then she let the child go, and Heidi ran into the 
next room, and bid Peter come quickly, for it had now 
grown quite dark. But when they got outside they 
found the moon shining down on the white snow and 
everything as clear as in the daylight. Peter got his 
sleigh, put Heidi at the back, he himself sitting in 
front to guide, and down the mountain they shot like 
two birds darting through the air. 

When Heidi was lying that night on her high bed 
of hay she thought of the grandmother on her low 
pillow, and of all she had said about the light and com¬ 
fort that awoke in her when she heard the hymns, 
and she thought: if I could read to her every day, 
then I should go on making her better. But she 
knew that it would be a week, if not two, before she 
would be able to go up the mountain again. This 
was a thought of great trouble to Heidi, and she 
tried hard to think of some way which would enable 
the grandmother to hear the words she loved every 
day. Suddenly an idea struck her, and she was so 
delighted with it that she could hardly bear to wait 
for morning, so eager was she to begin carrying out 
her plan. All at once she sat upright in her bed, for 
she had been so busy with her thoughts that she had 
forgotten to say her prayers, and she never now fin¬ 
ished her day without saying them. 

When she had prayed with all her heart for her¬ 
self, her grandfather and grandmother, she lay back 
again on the warm soft hay and slept soundly and 
peacefully till morning broke. 


Chfint'er' --— Nineteen, 



P ETER arrived punctually at school the follow¬ 
ing day. He had brought his dinner with him, 
for all the children who lived at a distance 
regularly seated themselves at mid-day on the tables, 
and resting their feet firmly on the benches, spread 
out their meal on their knees and so ate their dinner, 
while those living in Dorfli went home for theirs. 
Till one o’clock they might all do as they liked, and 
then school began again. When Peter had finished 
his lessons on the days he attended school, he went 
over to Uncle’s to see Heidi. 

When he walked into the large room at Uncle’s to^ 
day, Heidi immediately rushed forward and took hold 
of him, for it was for Peter she had been waiting. 
I’ve thought of something, Peter,” she said hastily. 
“ What is it?” he asked. 

“ You must learn to read,” she informed him. 

“ I have learnt,” was the answer. 

“ Yes, yes, but I mean so that you can really make 
use of it,” continued Heidi eagerly. 

“ I never shall,” was the prompt reply. 

“ Nobody believes that you cannot learn, nor I 
either now,” said Heidi in a very decided tone of 
voice. “ Grandmamma in Frankfurt said long ago 


264 



WINTER CONTINUES 265 

that it was not true, and she told me not to believe 
you.” 

Peter looked rather taken aback at this piece of 
intelligence. 

“ I will soon teach you to read, for I know how,” 
continued Heidi. “ You must learn at once, and then 
you can read one or two hymns every day to grand¬ 
mother.” 

“ Oh, I don’t care about that,” he grumbled in 
reply. 

This hard-hearted way of refusing to agree to what 
was right and kind, and to what Heidi had so much at 
heart, aroused her anger. With flashing eyes she 
stood facing the boy and said threateningly, ‘‘ If you 
won’t learn as I want you to, I will tell you what will 
happen; you know your mother has often spoken of 
sending you to Frankfurt, that you may learn a lot 
of things, and I know where the boys there have to 
go to school; Clara pointed out the great house to 
me when we were driving together. And they don’t 
only go when they are boys, but have more lessons 
still when they are grown men. I have seen them 
myself, and you mustn’t think they have only one 
kind teacher like we have. There are ever so many 
of them, all in the school at the same time, and they 
are all dressed in black, as if they were going to 
church, and have black hats on their heads as high as 
that—” and Heidi held out her hand to show their 
height from the floor. 

Peter felt a cold shudder run down his back. 

** And you will have to go in among all those gem 


266 


HEIDI 


tlemen,” continued Heidi with increasing animation, 
“ and when it comes to your turn you won’t be able to 
read and will make mistakes in your spelling. Then 
you’ll see how they’ll make fun of you; even worse 
than Tinette, and you ought to have seen what she 
was like when she was scornful.” 

“ Well, I’ll learn then,” said Peter, half sorrowfully 
and half angrily. 

Heidi was instantly mollified. “ That’s right, then 
we’ll begin at once,” she said cheerfully, and went 
busily to work on the spot, dragging Peter to the 
table and fetching her books. 

Among other presents Clara had sent Heidi a book 
which the latter had decided, in bed the night before, 
would serve capitally for teaching Peter, for it was an 
ABC book with rhyming lines. And now the two 
sat together at the table with their heads bent over 
the book, for the lesson had begun. 

Peter was made to spell out the first sentence two 
or three times over, for Heidi wished him to get it 
correct and fluent. At last she said, “ You don’t seem 
able to get it right, but I will read it aloud to you 
once; when you know what it ought to be you will 
find it easier.” And she read out: — 

ABC must be learnt to-day 
Or the judge will call you up to pay. 

“ I shan’t go,” said Peter obstinately. 

“ Go where? ” asked Heidi. 

“ Before the judge,” he answered. 


WINTER CONTINUES 267 

“ Well then make haste and learn these three let¬ 
ters, then you won’t have to go.” 

Peter went at his task again and repeated the three 
letters so many times and with such determination 
that she said at last,— 

“ You must know those three now.” 

Seeing what an effect the first two lines of verse had 
had upon him, she thought she would prepare the 
ground a little for the following lessons. 

“ Wait, and I will read you some of the next sen¬ 
tences,” she continued, “ then you will see what else 
there is to expect.” 

And she began in a clear slow voice: — 

D E F G must run with ease 

Or something will follow that does not please. 

Should H I J K be now forgot 
Disgrace is yours upon the spot. 

And then L M must follow at once 
Or punished you’ll be for a sorry dunce. 

If you knew what next awaited you 
You’d haste to learn N O P Q. 

Now R S T be quick about 

Or worse will follow there’s little doubt. 

Heidi paused, for Peter was so quiet that she looked 
to see what he was doing. These many secret threats 
and hints of dreadful punishments had so affected him 
that he sat as if petrified and stared at Heidi with 


268 


HEIDI 


horror-stricken eyes. Her kind heart was moved at 
once, and she said, wishing to reassure him, “ You 
need not be afraid, Peter; come here to me every 
evening, and if you learn as you have to-day you will 
at last know all your letters, and the other things 
won’t come. But you must come regularly, not now 
and then as you do to school; even if it snows it 
won’t hurt you.” 

Peter promised, for the trepidation he had been in 
had made him quite tame and docile. Lessons being 
finished for this day he now went home. 

Peter obeyed Heidi’s instructions punctually, and 
every evening went diligently to work to learn the 
following letters, taking the sentences thoroughly to 
heart. The grandfather was frequently in the room 
smoking his pipe comfortably while the lesson was 
going on, and his face twitched occasionally as if he 
was overtaken with a sudden fit of merriment. Peter 
was often invited to stay to supper after the great 
exertion he had gone through, which richly compen¬ 
sated him for the anguish of mind he had suffered 
with the sentence for the day. 

So the winter went by, and Peter really made 
progress with his letters; but he went through a ter¬ 
rible fight each day with the sentences. 

He had got at last to U. Heidi read out:— 

And if you put the U for V, 

You’ll go where you would not like to be. 

Peter growled, “Yes, but I shan’t go!” But he 
was very diligent that day, as if under the impression 


WINTER CONTINUES 269 

that some one would seize him suddenly by the collar 
and drag him where he would rather not go. 

The next evening Heidi read: — 

If you falter at W, worst of all, 

Look at the stick against the wall. 

Peter looked at the wall and said scornfully, 
“There isn’t one.” 

“ Yes, but do you know what grandfather has in 
his box? ” asked Heidi. “ A stick as thick almost as 
your arm, and if he took that out, you might well say, 
look at the stick on the wall.” 

Peter knew that thick hazel stick, and immediately 
bent his head over the W and struggled to master it. 

Another day the lines ran: — 

Then comes the X for you to say 
Or be sure you’ll get no food to-day. 

Peter looked towards the cupboard where the 
bread and cheese were kept and said crossly, “ I never 
said that I should forget the X.” 

“ That’s all right; if you don’t forget it we can go 
on to learn the next, and then you will only have one 
more,” replied Heidi, anxious to encourage him. 

Peter did not quite understand, but when Heidi 
went on and read: — 

And should you make a stop at Y 
They’ll point at you and cry. Fie, fie. 

All the gentlemen in Frankfurt with tall black hats on 
their heads, and scorn and mockery in their faces rose 


2^0 


HEIDI 


up before his mind’s eye, and he threw himself with 
energy on the Y, not letting it go till at last he knew 
it so thoroughly that he could see what it was like 
even when he shut his eyes. 

He arrived on the following day in a somewhat 
lofty frame of mind, for there was now only one letter 
to struggle over, and when Heidi began the lesson 
with reading aloud: — 

Make haste with Z, if you’re too slow 
Off to the Hottentots you’ll go. 

Peter remarked scornfully, “ I dare say, when no one 
knows even where such people live.” 

‘‘ I assure you, Peter,” replied Heidi, ‘‘ grandfather 
knows all about them. Wait a second and I will run 
and ask him, for he is only over the way with the 
pastor.” And she rose and ran to the door to put her 
words into action, but Peter cried out in a voice of 
agony,— 

‘‘ Stop! ” for he already saw himself being carried 
off by Aim-Uncle and the pastor and sent straight 
away to the Hottentots, since as yet he did not know 
his last letter. His cry of fear brought Heidi back. 

“ What is the matter? ” she asked in astonishment. 

“Nothing! come back! I am going to learn my 
letter,” he said, stammering with fear. Heidi, how¬ 
ever, herself wished to know where the Hottentots 
lived and persisted that she should ask her grand¬ 
father, but she gave in at last to Peter’s despairing 
entreaties. She insisted on his doing something in 


V^^ INTER CONTINUES 271 

return, and so not only had he to repeat his Z until 
it was so fixed in his memory that he could never 
forget it again, but she began teaching him to spell, 
and Peter really made a good start that evening. So 
it went on from day to day. 

The frost had gone and the snow was soft again, 
and moreover fresh snow continually fell, so that it 
was quite three weeks before Heidi could go to the 
grandmother again. So much the more eagerly did 
she pursue her teaching so that Peter might com¬ 
pensate for her absence by reading hymns to the old 
woman. One evening he walked in home after leav¬ 
ing Heidi, and as he entered he said, “ I can do it 
now.’’ 

“ Do what, Peter? ” asked his mother. 

“ Read,” he answered. 

‘‘ Do you really mean it? Did you hear that, 
grandmother?” she called out. 

The grandmother had heard, and was already won¬ 
dering how such a thing could have come to pass. 

“ I must read one of the hymns now; Heidi told me 
to,” he went on to inform them. His mother hastily 
fetched the book, and the grandmother lay in joyful 
expectation, for it was so long since she had heard the 
good words. Peter sat down to the table and began 
to read. His mother sat beside him listening with 
surprise and exclaiming at the close of each verse, 
‘‘ Who would have thought it possible! ” 

The grandmother did not speak though she fol¬ 
lowed the words he read with strained attention. 

It happened on the day following this that there 


HEIDI 


272 

was a reading lesson in Peter’s class. When it came 
to his turn, the teacher said,— 

“We must pass over Peter as usual, or will you 
try again once more — I will not say to read, but to 
stammer through a sentence.” 

Peter took the book and read off three lines with¬ 
out the slightest hesitation. 

The teacher put down his book and stared at Peter 
as at some out-of-the-way and marvellous thing un¬ 
seen before. At last he spoke,— 

“ Peter, some miracle has been performed upon 
you! Here have I been striving with unheard-of 
patience to teach you and you have not hitherto been 
able to say your letters even. And now, just as I 
had made up my mind not to waste any more trouble 
upon you, you suddenly are able to read a consecutive 
sentence properly and distinctly. How has such a 
miracle come to pass in our days? ” 

“ It was Heidi,” answered Peter. 

The teacher looked in astonishment towards Heidi, 
who was sitting innocently on her bench with no ap¬ 
pearance of anything supernatural about her. He 
continued, “ I have noticed a change in you alto¬ 
gether, Peter. Whereas formerly you often missed 
coming to school for a week, or even weeks at a time, 
you have lately not stayed away a single day. Who 
has wrought this change for good in you? ” 

“ It was Uncle,” answered Peter. 

With increasing surprise the teacher looked from 
Peter to Heidi and back again at Peter. 

“We will try once more,” he said cautiously, and 


WINTER CONTINUES 273 

Peter had again to show off his accomplishment by 
reading another three lines. There was no mistake 
about it — Peter could read. As soon as school was 
over the teacher went over to the pastor to tell him 
this piece of news, and to inform him of the happy re¬ 
sult of Heidi’s and the grandfather’s combined efforts. 

Every evening Peter read one hymn aloud; so far 
he obeyed Heidi. Nothing would induce him to read 
a second, and indeed the grandmother never asked 
for it. His mother Brigitta could not get over her 
surprise at her son’s attainment, and when the reader 
was in bed would often express her pleasure at it. 
‘‘ Now he has learnt to read there is no knowing what 
may be made of him yet.” 

On one of these occasions the grandmother an¬ 
swered, “ Yes, it is good for him to have learnt some¬ 
thing, but I shall indeed be thankful when spring is 
here again and Heidi can come; they are not like the 
same hymns when Peter reads them. So many words 
seem missing, and I try to think what they ought to 
be and then I lose the sense, and so the hymns do not 
come home to my heart as when Heidi reads them.” 

The truth was that Peter arranged to make his 
reading as little troublesome for himself as possible. 
When he came upon a word that he thought was too 
long or difficult in any other way, he left it out, for he 
decided that a word or two less in a verse, where 
there were so many of them, could make no difference 
to his grandmother. And so it came about that most 
of the principal words were missing in the hymns that 
Peter read aloud. 



I T was the month of May. From every height 
the full fresh streams of spring were flowing 
down into the valley. The clear warm sunshine 
lay upon the mountain, which had turned green again. 
The last snows had disappeared and the sun had al¬ 
ready coaxed many of the flowers to show their 
bright heads above the grass. Up above the gay 
young wind of spring was singing through the fir 
trees, and shaking down the old dark needles to make 
room for the new bright green ones that were soon 
to deck out the trees in their spring finery. Higher 
up still the great bird went circling round in the blue 
ether as of old, while the golden sunshine lit up the 
grandfather’s hut, and all the ground about it was 
warm and dry again so that one might sit out where 
one liked. Heidi was at home again on the moun¬ 
tain, running backwards and forwards in her accus¬ 
tomed way, not knowing which spot was most de¬ 
lightful. Now she stood still to listen to the deep, 
mysterious voice of the wind, as it blew down to her 
from the mountain summits, coming nearer and 
nearer and gathering strength as it came, till it broke 
with force against the fir trees, bending and shaking 

them, and seeming to shout for joy, so that she too, 

274 





NEWS FROM FRIENDS 275 

though blown about like a feather, felt she must join 
in the chorus of exulting sounds. Then she would 
run round again to the sunny space in front of the 
hut, and seating herself on the ground would peer 
closely into the short grass to see how many little 
flower cups were open or thinking of opening. She 
rejoiced with all the myriad little beetles and winged 
insects that jumped and crawled and danced in the 
sun, and drew in deep draughts of the spring scents 
that rose from the newly-awakened earth, and 
thought the mountain was more beautiful than ever. 
All the tiny living creatures must be as happy as she, 
for it seemed to her there were little voices all round 
her singing and humming in joyful tones, “ On the 
mountain! on the mountain! ’’ 

From the shed at the back came the sound of saw¬ 
ing and chopping, and Heidi listened to it with pleas¬ 
ure, for it was the old familiar sound she had known 
from the beginning of her life up here. Suddenly she 
jumped up and ran round, for she must know what 
her grandfather was doing. In front of the shed door 
already stood a finished new chair, and a second was 
in course of construction under the grandfather’s skil¬ 
ful hand. 

“ Oh, I know what these are for,” exclaimed Heidi 
in great glee. “We shall want them when they all 
come from Frankfurt. This one is for Grandmamma, 
and the one you are now making is for Clara, and 
then — then there will, I suppose, have to be an¬ 
other,” continued Heidi with more hesitation in her 
voice, “ or do you think, grandfather, that perhaps 


HEIDI 


276 

Fraulein Rottenmeier will not come with them? ” 

“ Well, I cannot say just yet,” replied her grand¬ 
father, “ but it will be safer to make one so that we 
can offer her a seat if she does.” 

Heidi looked thoughtfully at the plain wooden chair 
without arms as if trying to imagine how Fraulein 
Rottenmeier and a chair of this sort would suit one 
smother. After a few minutes* contemplation, 
“ Grandfather,” she said, shaking her head doubt¬ 
fully, ‘‘ I don’t think she would be able to sit on that.” 

“ Then we will invite her on the couch with the 
beautiful green turf feather-bed,” was her grand¬ 
father’s quiet rejoinder. 

While Heidi was pausing to consider what this 
might be there approached from above a whistling, 
calling, and other sounds which Heidi immediately 
recognised. She ran out and found herself sur¬ 
rounded by her four-footed friends. They were ap¬ 
parently as pleased as she was to be among the 
heights again, for they leaped about and bleated for 
joy, pushing Heidi this way and that, each anxious 
to express his delight with some sign of affection. 
But Peter sent them flying to right and left, for he 
had something to give to Heidi. When he at last 
got up to her he handed her a letter. 

“ There! ” he exclaimed, leaving the further ex¬ 
planation of the matter to Heidi herself. 

“ Did some one give you this while you were out 
with the goats,” she asked, in her surprise. 

“ No,” was the answer. 

“ Where did you get it from then? ” 


NEWS FROM FRIENDS 277 

“ I found it in the dinner bag.” 

Which was true to a certain extent. The letter to 
Heidi had been given him the evening before by the 
postman at Dorfli, and Peter had put it into his empty 
bag. That morning he had stuffed his bread and 
cheese on the top of it, and had forgotten it when he 
fetched Alm-Uncle’s two goats; only when he had 
finished his bread and cheese at mid-day and was 
searching in the bag for any last crumbs did he re¬ 
member the letter which lay at the bottom. 

Heidi read the address carefully; then she ran back 
to the shed holding out her letter to her grandfather 
in high glee. “From Frankfurt! from Clara! 
Would you like to hear it? ” 

The grandfather was ready and pleased to do so, 
as also Peter, who had followed Heidi into the shed. 
He leant his back against the door post, as he felt he 
could follow Heidi’s reading better if firmly sup¬ 
ported from behind, and so stood prepared to listen. 

“ Dearest Heidi,— Everything is packed and we 
shall start now in two or three days, as soon as papa 
himself is ready to leave; he is not coming with 
us as he has first to go to Paris. The doctor comes 
every day, and as soon as he is inside the door, he 
cries, ‘ Off now as quickly as you can, off to the 
mountain.’ He is most impatient about our going. 
You cannot think how much he enjoyed himself when 
he was with you! He has called nearly every day 
this winter, and each time he has come in to my room 
and said he must tell me about everything again. 


HEIDI 


278 

And then he sits down and describes all he did with 
you and the grandfather, and talks of the mountains 
and the flowers and of the great silence up there far 
above all towns and the villages, and of the fresh 
delicious air, and often adds, ‘ No one can help get¬ 
ting well up there.’ He himself is quite a different 
man since his visit, and looks quite young again and 
happy, which he had not been for a long time before. 
Oh, how I am looking forward to seeing everything 
and to being with you on the mountain, and to mak¬ 
ing the acquaintance of Peter and the goats. 

“ I shall have first to go through a six weeks’ cure 
at Ragatz; this the doctor has ordered, and then we 
shall move up to Dorfli, and every fine day I shall be 
carried up the mountain in my chair and spend the 
day with you. Grandmamma is travelling with me 
and will remain with me; she also is delighted at the 
thought of paying you a visit. But just imagine, 
Fraulein Rottenmeier refuses to come with us. Al¬ 
most every day grandmamma says to her, ‘ Well, how 
about this Swiss journey, my worthy Rottenmeier? 
Pray say if you really would like to come with us.’ 
But she always thanks grandmamma very politely 
and says she has quite made up her mind. I think I 
know what has done it: Sebastian gave such a 
frightful description of the mountain, of how the 
rocks were so overhanging and dangerous that at any 
minute you might fall into a crevasse, and how it was 
such steep climbing that you feared at every step to 
go slipping to the bottom, and that goats alone could 
make their way up without fear of being killed. She 


NEWS FROM FRIENDS 279 

shuddered when she heard him tell of all this, and 
since then she has not been so enthusiastic about 
Switzerland as she was before. Fear has also taken 
possession of Tinette, and she also refuses to come. 
So grandmamma and I will be alone; Sebastian will 
go with us as far as Ragatz and then return here. 

“ I can hardly bear waiting till I see you again. 
Good-bye, dearest Heidi; grandmamma sends you her 
best love and all good wishes.— Your affectionate 
friend, 

“ Clara.’’ 

Peter, as soon as the conclusion of the letter had 
been reached, left his reclining position and rushed 
out, twirling his stick in the air in such a reckless 
fashion that the frightened goats fled down the moun¬ 
tain before him with higher and wider leaps than 
usual. Peter followed at full speed, his stick still 
raised in air in a menacing manner as if he was long¬ 
ing to vent his fury on some invisible foe. This foe 
was indeed the prospect of the arrival of the Frank¬ 
furt visitors, the thought of whom filled him with 
exasperation. 

Heidi was so full of joyful anticipation that she 
determined to seize the first possible moment next 
day to go down and tell grandmother who was com¬ 
ing, and also particularly who was not coming. 
These details would be of great interest to her, for 
grandmother knew well all the persons named from 
Heidi’s description, and had entered with deep sym¬ 
pathy into all that the child had told her of her life 


28 o 


HEIDI 


and surroundings in Frankfurt. Heidi paid her visit 
in the early afternoon, for she could now go alone 
again; the sun was bright in the heavens and the 
days were growing longer, and it was delightful to 
go racing down the mountain over the dry ground, 
with the brisk May wind blowing from behind, and 
speeding Heidi on her way a little more quickly than 
her legs alone would have carried her. 

The grandmother was no longer confined to her 
bed. She was back in her corner at her spinning- 
wheel, but there was an expression on her face of 
mournful anxiety. Peter had come in the evening 
before brimful of anger and had told about the large 
party who were coming up from Frankfurt, and he 
did not know what other things might happen after 
that; and the old woman had not slept all night, 
pursued by the old thought of Heidi being taken from 
her. Heidi ran in, and taking her little stool im¬ 
mediately sat down by grandmother and began 
eagerly pouring out all her news, growing more ex¬ 
cited with her pleasure as she went on. But all of a 
sudden she stopped short and said anxiously, “ What 
is the matter, grandmother, aren’t you a bit pleased 
with what I am telling you? ” 

“ Yes, yes, of course, child, since it gives you so 
much pleasure,” she answered, trying to look more 
cheerful. 

“ But I can see all the same that something troubles 
you. Is it because you think after all that Fraulein 
Rottenmeier may come? ” asked Heidi, beginning to 
feel anxious herself. 


NEWS FROM FRIENDS 281 


“No, no! it is nothing, child,’’ said the grand¬ 
mother, wishing to reassure her. “ Just give me your 
hand that I may feel sure you are there. No doubt it 
would be the best thing for you, although I feel I 
could scarcely survive it.” 

“ I do not want anything of the best if you could 
scarcely survive it,” said Heidi, in such a determined 
tone of voice that the grandmother’s fears increased 
as she felt sure the people from Frankfurt were com¬ 
ing to take Heidi back with them, since now she was 
well again they naturally wished to have her with 
them once more. But she was anxious to hide her 
trouble from Heidi if possible, as the latter was so 
sympathetic that she might refuse perhaps to go 
away, and that would not be right. She sought for 
help, but not for long, for she knew of only one. 

“ Heidi,” she said, “ there is something that would 
comfort me and calm my thoughts; read me the hymn 
beginning: ^ All things will work for good.’ ” 

Heidi found the place at once and read out in her 
clear young voice: — 

All things will work for good 
To those who trust in Me; 

I come with healing on my wings, 

To save and set thee free. 

“ Yes, yes, that is just what I wanted to hear,” 
said the grandmother, and the deep expression of 
trouble passed from her face. Heidi looked at her 
thoughtfully for a minute or two and then said. 


282 


HEIDI 


“ Healing means that which cures everything and 
makes everybody well, doesn’t it, grandmother? ” 

“ Yes, that is it,” replied the old woman with a nod 
of assent, “ and we may be sure everything will come 
to pass according to God’s gocd purpose. Read the 
verse again, that we may remember it well and not 
forget it again.” 

And Heidi read the words over two or three times, 
for she also found pleasure in this assurance of all 
things being arranged for the best. 

When the evening came, Heidi returned home up 
the mountain. The stars came out overhead one by 
one, so bright and sparkling that each seemed to send 
a fresh ray of joy into her heart; she was obliged to 
pause continually to look up, and as the whole sky at 
last grew spangled with them she spoke aloud, “ Yes, 
I understand now why we feel so happy, and are not 
afraid about anything, because God knows what is 
good and beautiful for us.” And the stars with their 
glistening eyes continued to nod to her till she 
reached home, where she found her grandfather also 
standing and looking up at them, for they had sel¬ 
dom been more glorious than they were this night. 

Not only were the nights of this month of May so 
clear and bright, but the days as well; the sun rose 
every morning into the cloudless sky, as undimmed in 
its splendor as when it sank the evening before, and 
the grandfather would look out early and exclaim 
with astonishment, “ This is indeed a wonderful year 
of sun; it will make all the shrubs and plants grow 
apace; you will have to see, general, that your army 


NEWS FROM FRIENDS 283 

does not get out of hand from overfeeding.” And 
Peter would swing his stick with an air of assurance 
and an expression on his face as much as to say, “ I’ll 
see to that.” 

So May passed, everything growing greener and 
greener, and then came the month of June, with a 
hotter sun and long light days, that brought the flow¬ 
ers out all over the mountain, so that every spot was 
bright with them and the air full of their sweet scents. 
This month too was drawing to its close when one 
day Heidi, having finished her domestic duties, ran 
out with the intention of paying first a visit to the fir 
trees, and then going up higher to see if the bush of 
rock roses was yet in bloom, for its flowers were so 
lovely when standing open in the sun. But just as 
she was turning the corner of the hut, she gave such a 
loud cry that her grandfather came running out of 
the shed to see what had happened. 

‘‘ Grandfather, grandfather! ” she cried, beside her¬ 
self with excitement. “ Come here! look! look! ” 

The old man was by her side by this time and 
looked in the direction of her outstretched hand. 

A strange looking procession was making its way 
up the mountain; in front were two men carrying 
a sedan chair, in which sat a girl well wrapped up 
in shawls; then followed a horse, mounted by a 
stately-looking lady who was looking about her with 
great interest and talking to the guide who walked 
beside her; then a reclining chair, which was being 
pushed up by another man, it having evidently been 
thought safer to send the invalid to whom it belonged 


/ 


HEIDI 


284 

up the steep path in a sedan chair. The procession 
wound up with a porter, with such a bundle of cloaks, 
shawls, and furs on his back that it rose well above 
his head. 

“ Here they come! here they come! ’’ shouted 
Heidi, jumping with joy. And sure enough it was 
the party from Frankfurt; the figures came nearer 
and nearer, and at last they had actually arrived. 
The men in front put down their burden, Heidi rushed 
forward and the two children embraced each other 
with mutual delight. Grandmamma having also 
reached the top, dismounted, and gave Heidi an 
affectionate greeting, before turning to the grand¬ 
father, who had meanwhile come up to welcome his 
guests. There was no constraint about the meeting, 
for they both knew each other perfectly well from 
hearsay and felt like old acquaintances. 

After the first words of greeting had been ex¬ 
changed grandmamma broke out into lively ex¬ 
pressions of admiration. “ What a magnificent resi¬ 
dence you have. Uncle! I could hardly have believed 
it was so beautiful! A king might well envy you! 
And how well my little Heidi looks — like a wild 
rose! ” she continued, drawing the child towards 
her and stroking her fresh pink cheeks. “ I don’t 
know which way to look first, it is all so lovely! 
What do you say to it, Clara, what do you say? ” 

Clara was gazing round entranced; she had never 
imagined, much less seen, anything so beautiful. 
She gave vent to her delight in cries of joy. “ O 


NEWS FROM FRIENDS 285 

grandmamma,” she said, “ I should like to remain 
here for ever.” 

The grandfather had meanwhile drawn up the 
invalid chair and spread some of the wraps over it; 
he now went up to Clara. 

“ Supposing we carry the little daughter now to 
her accustomed chair; I think she will be more com¬ 
fortable, the travelling sedan is rather hard,” he said, 
and without waiting for any one to help him he lifted 
the child in his strong arms and laid her gently down 
on her own couch. He then covered her over care¬ 
fully and arranged her feet on the soft cushion, as if 
he had never done anything all his life but attend 
on cripples. The grandmamma looked on with sur¬ 
prise. 

‘‘ My dear Uncle,” she exclaimed, “ if I knew where 
you had learned to nurse I would at once send all the 
nurses I know to the same place that they might 
handle their patients in like manner. How do you 
come to know so much? ” 

Uncle smiled. “ I know more from experience 
than training,” he answered, but as he spoke the smile 
died away and a look of sadness passed over his face. 
The vision rose before him of a face of suffering 
that he had known long years before, the face of a 
man lying crippled on his couch of pain, and unable 
to move a limb. The man had been his captain dur¬ 
ing the fierce fighting in Sicily; he had found him 
lying wounded and had carried him away, and after 
that the captain would suffer no one else near him, 


286 


HEIDI 


and Uncle had stayed and nursed him till his suffer¬ 
ings ended in death. It all came back to Uncle now, 
and it seemed natural to him to attend on the sick 
Clara and to show her all those kindly attentions 
with which he had been once so familiar. 

The sky spread blue and cloudless over the hut and 
the fir trees and far above over the high rocks, the 
grey summits of which glistened in the sun. Clara 
could not feast her eyes enough on all the beauty 
around her. 

“ O Heidi, if only I could walk about with you,” 
she said longingly, “ if I could but go and look at the 
fir trees and at everything I know so well from your 
description, although I have never been here before.” 

Heidi in response put out all her strength, and 
after a slight effort, managed to wheel Clara’s chair 
quite easily round the hut to the fir trees. There they 
paused. Clara had never seen such trees before, with 
their tall, straight stems, and long thick branches 
growing thicker and thicker till they touched the 
ground. Even the grandmamma, who had followed 
the children, was astonished at the sight of them. 
She hardly knew what to admire most in these 
ancient trees: the lofty tops rising in their full green 
splendor towards the sky, or the pillar-like stems, 
with their straight and gigantic boughs, that spoke 
of such antiquity of age, of such long years during 
which they had looked down upon the valley below, 
where men came and went, and all things were con¬ 
tinually changing, while they stood undisturbed and 
changeless. 


NEWS FROM FRIENDS 287 

Heidi had now wheeled Clara on to the goat shed, 
and had flung open the door, so that Clara might 
have a full view of all that was inside. There was 
not much to see just now as its indwellers were ab¬ 
sent. Clara lamented to her grandmother that they 
would have to leave early before the goats came 
home. “ I should so like to have seen Peter and his 
whole flock.” 

“ Dear child, let us enjoy all the beautiful things 
that we can see, and not think about those that we 
cannot,” grandmamma replied as she followed the 
chair which Heidi was pushing further on. 

“ Oh, the flowers! ” exclaimed Clara. “ Look at 
the bushes of red flowers, and all the nodding blue 
bells! Oh, if I could but get out and pick some! ” 

Heidi ran off at once and picked her a large nose¬ 
gay of them. 

“ But these are nothing, Clara,” she said, laying the 
flowers on her lap. “ If you could come up higher to 
where the goats are feeding, then you would indeed 
see something! Bushes on bushes of the red cen¬ 
taury, and ever so many more of the blue bell-flowers; 
and then the bright yellow rock roses, that gleam like 
pure gold, and all crowding together in the one spot. 
And then there are others with the large leaves that 
grandfather calls Bright Eyes, and the brown ones 
with little round heads that smell so delicious. Oh, 
it is beautiful up there, and if you sit down among 
them you never want to get up again, everything 
looks and smells so lovely! ” 

Heidi’s eyes sparkled with the remembrance of 


288 


HEIDI 


what she was describing; she was longing herself to 
see it all again, and Clara caught her enthusiasm and 
looked back at her with equal longing in her soft 
blue eyes. 

“ Grandmamma, do you think I could get up there? 
Is it possible for me to go? ” she asked eagerly. “ If 
only I could walk, climb about everywhere with you, 
Heidi! ” 

“ I am sure I could push you up, the chair goes 
so easily,” said Heidi, and in proof of her words, she 
sent the chair at such a pace round the corner that it 
nearly went flying down the mountain-side. Grand¬ 
mamma being at hand, however, stopped it in time. 

The grandfather, meantime, had not been idle. 
He had by this time put the table and extra chairs 
in front of the seat, so that they might all sit out here 
and eat the dinner that was preparing inside. The 
milk and the cheese were soon ready, and then the 
company sat down in high spirits to their mid-day 
meal. 

Grandmamma was enchanted, as the doctor had 
been, with their dining-room, whence one could see 
far along the valley, and far over the mountains to 
the farthest stretch of blue sky. A light wind blew 
refreshingly over them as they sat at table, and the 
rustling of the fir trees made a festive accompani¬ 
ment to the repast. 

“ I never enjoyed anything as much as this. It is 
really superb! ” cried grandmamma two or three 
times over; and then suddenly in a tone of surprise. 


NEWS FROM FRIENDS 289 

“ Do I really see you taking a second piece of toasted 
cheese, Clara! 

There, sure enough, was a second golden-colored 
slice of cheese on Clara’s plate. 

“ Oh, it does taste so nice, grandmamma — better 
than all the dishes we have at Ragatz,’’ replied Clara, 
as she continued eating with appetite. 

“ That’s right, eat what you can! ” exclaimed 
Uncle. “ It’s the mountain air which makes up for 
the deficiencies of the kitchen.” 

And so the meal went on. Grandmamma and 
Alm-Uncle got on very well together, and their con¬ 
versation became more and more lively. They were 
so thoroughly agreed in their opinions of men and 
things and the world in general that they -might have 
been taken for old cronies. The time passed merrily, 
and then grandmamma looked towards the west and 
said,— 

“ We must soon get ready to go, Clara, the sun is 
a good way down; the men will be here directly with 
the horse and sedan.” 

Clara’s face fell and she said beseechingly, “ Oh, 
just another hour, grandmamma, or two hours. We 
haven’t seen inside the hut yet, or Heidi’s bed, or any 
of the other things. If only the day was ten hours 
long!” 

“Well, that is not possible,” said grandmamma, 
but she herself was anxious to see inside the hut, so 
they all rose from the table and Uncle wheeled 
Clara’s chair to the door. But there they came to 


290 


HEIDI 


a standstill, for the chair was much too broad to pass 
through the door. Uncle, however, soon settled the 
difficulty by lifting Clara in his strong arms and carry¬ 
ing her inside. 

Grandmamma went all round and examined the 
household arrangements, and was very much amused 
and pleased at their orderliness and the cozy appear¬ 
ance of everything. “ And this is your bedroom up 
here, Heidi, is it not? she asked, as without trepida¬ 
tion she mounted the ladder to the hay loft. ‘‘ Oh, 
it does smell sweet, what a healthy place to sleep in.” 
She went up to the round window and looked out, 
and grandfather followed up with Clara in his arms, 
Heidi springing up after them. Then they all stood 
and examined Heidi’s wonderful hay-bed, and grand¬ 
mamma looked thoughtfully at it and drew in from 
time to time fragrant draughts of the hay-peifumed 
air, while Clara was charmed beyond words with 
Heidi’s sleeping apartment. 

“ It is delightful for you up here, Heidi! You can 
look from your bed straight into the sky, and then 
such a delicious smell all round you! and outside the 
fir trees waving and rustling! I have never seen such 
a pleasant, cheerful bedroom before. 

Uncle looked across at the grandmamma. “ I have 
been thinking,” he said to her, “ that if you were will¬ 
ing to agree to it, your little granddaughter might re¬ 
main up here, and I am sure she would grow stronger. 
You have brought up all kinds of shawls and covers 
with you, and we could make up a soft bed out of 
them, and as to the general looking after the child, 




NEWS FROM FRIENDS 291 

you need have no fear, for I will see to that.” 

Clara and Heidi were as overjoyed at these words 
as if they were two birds let out of their cages, and 
grandmamma’s face beamed with satisfaction. 

“You are indeed kind, my dear Uncle,” she ex¬ 
claimed; “you give words to the thought that was 
in my own mind. I was only asking myself whether 
a stay up here might not be the very thing she 
wanted. But then the trouble, the inconvenience to 
yourself! And you speak of nursing and looking 
after her as if it was a mere nothing! I thank you 
sincerely, I thank you from my whole heart. Uncle.” 
And she took his hand and gave it a long and grate¬ 
ful shake, which he returned with a pleased expres¬ 
sion of countenance. 

Uncle immediately set to work to get things ready. 
He carried Clara back to her chair outside, Heidi fol¬ 
lowing, not knowing how to jump high enough into 
the air to express her contentment. Then he 
gathered up a whole pile of shawls and furs and said, 
smiling, “ It is a good thing that grandmamma came 
up well provided for a winter’s campaign; we shall be 
able to make good use of these.” 

“ Foresight is a virtue,” responded the lady, 
amused, “ and prevents many misfortunes. If we 
have made the journey over your mountains without 
meeting with storms, winds and cloud-bursts, we can 
only be thankful, which we are, and my provision 
against these disasters now comes in usefully, as you 
say.” 

The two had meanwhile ascended to the hay-loft 


292 


HEIDI 


and begun to prepare a bed; there were so many 
articles piled one over the other that when finished it 
looked like a regular little fortress. Grandmamma 
passed her hand carefully over it to make sure there 
were no bits of hay sticking out. “ If there’s a bit 
that can come through it will,” she said. The soft 
mattress, however, was so smooth and thick that 
nothing could penetrate it. Then they went down 
again, well satisfied, and found the children laughing 
and talking together and arranging all they were go¬ 
ing to do from morning till evening as long as Clara 
stayed. The next question was how long she was to 
remain, and first grandmamma was asked, but she 
referred them to the grandfather, who gave it as his 
opinion that she ought to make the trial of the 
mountain air for at least a month. The children 
clapped their hands for joy, for they had not expected 
to be together for so long a time. 

The bearers and the horse and guide were now 
seen approaching; the former were sent back at once, 
and grandmamma prepared to mount for her return 
journey. 

“ It’s not saying good-bye, grandmamma,” Clara 
called out, “ for you will come up now and then and 
see how we are getting on, and we shall so look for¬ 
ward to your visits, shan’t we, Heidi? ” 

Heidi, who felt that life this day had been crowded 
with pleasures, could only respond to Clara with an¬ 
other jump of joy. 

Grandmamma being now seated on her sturdy 
animal. Uncle took the bridle to lead her down the 


NEWS FROM FRIENDS 293 

steep mountain path; she begged him not to come 
far with her, but he insisted on seeing her safely as 
far as Dorfli, for the way was precipitous and not 
without danger for the rider, he said. 

Grandmamma did not care to stay alone in Dorfli, 
and therefore decided to return to Ragatz, and thence 
to make excursions up the mountain from time to 
time. 

Peter came down with his goats before Uncle had 
returned. As soon as the animals caught sight of 
Heidi they all came flocking towards her, and she, 
as well as Clara on her couch, were soon surrounded 
by the goats, pushing and poking their heads one over 
the other, while Heidi introduced each in turn by its 
name to her friend Clara. 

It was not long before the latter had made the 
long-wished-for acquaintance of little Snowflake, the 
lively Greenfinch, and the well-behaved goats belong¬ 
ing to grandfather, as well as of the many others, in¬ 
cluding the Grand Turk. Peter meanwhile stood 
apart looking on, and casting somewhat unfriendly 
glances towards Clara. 

When the two children called out, “ Good-evening, 
Peter,” he made no answer, but swung up his stick 
angrily, as if wanting to cut the air in two, and then 
ran off with his goats after him. 

The climax to all the beautiful things that Clara 
had already seen upon the mountain came at the 
close of the day. 

As she lay on the large soft bed in the hay loft, with 
Heidi near her, she looked out through the round 


294 


HEIDI 


open window right into the middle of the shining 
clusters of stars, and she exclaimed in delight,— 

“ Heidi, it’s just as if we were in a high carriage 
and were going to drive straight into heaven.” 

“ Yes, and do you know why the stars are so happy 
and look down and nod to us like that? ” asked Heidi. 

“ No, why is it? ” Clara asked in return. 

“Because they live up in heaven, and know how 
well God arranges everything for us, so that we need 
have no more fear or trouble and may be quite sure 
that all things will come right in the end. That’s 
why they are so happy, and they nod to us because 
they want us to be happy too. But then we must 
never forget to pray, and to ask God to remember 
us when He is arranging things, so that we too may 
feel safe and have no anxiety about what is going to 
happen.” 

The two children now sat up and said their prayers, 
and then Heidi put her head down on her little round 
arm and fell off to sleep at once, but Clara lay awake 
some time, for she could not get over the wonder of 
this new experience of being in bed up here among 
the stars. She had indeed seldom seen a star, for she 
never went outside the house at night, and the cur¬ 
tains at home were always drawn before the stars 
came out. Each time she closed her eyes she felt 
she must open them again to see if the two very large 
stars were still looking in, and nodding to her as Heidi 
said they did. There they were, always in the same 
place, and Clara felt she could not look long enough 


NEWS FROM FRIENDS 295 

into their bright sparkling faces, until at last her eyes 
closed of their own accord, and it was only in her 
dreams that she still saw the two large friendly stars 
shining down upon her. 



T he sun had just risen above the mountains 
and was shedding its first golden rays over 
the hut and the valley below. Alm-Uncle, 
as was his custom, had been standing in a quiet and 
devout attitude for some little while, watching the 
light mists gradually lifting, and the heights and 
valley emerging from their twilight shadows and 
awakening to another day. 

The light morning clouds overhead grew brighter 
and brighter, till at last the sun shone out in its full 
glory, and rock and wood and hill lay bathed in 
golden light. 

Uncle now stepped back into the hut and went 
softly up the ladder. Clara had just opened her eyes 
and was looking with wonder at the bright sunlight 
that shone through the round window and danced 
and sparkled about her bed. She could not at first 
think what she was looking at or where she was. 
Then she caught sight of Heidi sleeping beside her, 
and now she heard the grandfather’s cheery voice 
asking her if she had slept well and was feeling rested. 
She assured him she was not tired, and that when 
she had once fallen asleep she had not opened her 

eyes again all night. The grandfather was satisfied 

296 






Heidi now awoke 








i'-"] 




LIFE AT GRANDFATHER’S 297 

at this and immediately began to attend upon her 
with so much gentleness and understanding that it 
seemed as if his chief calling had been to look after 
sick children. 

Heidi now awoke and was surprised to see Clara 
dressed, and already in the grandfather’s arms ready 
to be carried down. She must be up too, and she 
went through her toilette with lightning-like speed. 
She ran down the ladder and out of the hut, and there 
further astonishment awaited her, for grandfather 
had been busy the night before after they were in 
bed. Seeing that it was impossible to get Clara’s 
chair through the hut-door, he had taken down two 
of the boards at the side of the shed and made an 
opening large enough to admit the chair; these he 
left loose so that they could be taken away and put 
up at pleasure. He was at this moment wheeling 
Clara out into the sun; he left her in front of the 
hut while he went to look after the goats, and Heidi 
ran up to her friend. 

The fresh morning breeze blew round the chil¬ 
dren’s faces, and every fresh puff brought a waft of 
fragrance from the fir trees. Clara drew it in with 
delight and lay back in her chair with an unaccus¬ 
tomed feeling of health and comfort. 

It was the first time in her life that she had been 
out in the open country at this early hour and felt 
the fresh morning breeze, and the pure mountain 
air was so cool and refreshing that every breath she 
drew was a pleasure. And then the bright sweet 
sun, which was not hot and sultry up here, but lay 


HEIDI 


298 

soft and warm on her hands and on the grass at her 
feet. Clara had not imagined that it would be like 
this on the mountain. 

“ O Heidi, if only I could stay up here for ever with 
you,” she exclaimed happily, turning in her chair 
from side to side that she might drink in the air and 
sun from all quarters. 

“ Now you see that it is just what I told you,” 
replied Heidi delighted; “ that it is the most beautiful 
thing in the world to be up here with grandfather.” 

The latter at that moment appeared coming from 
the goat shed and bringing two small foaming bowls 
of snow-white milk — one for Clara and one for 
Heidi. 

“ That will do the little daughter good,” he said, 
nodding to Clara; “ it is from Little Swan and will 
make her strong. To your health, child! drink it 
up.” 

Clara had never tasted goat’s milk before; she hesi¬ 
tated and smelt it before putting it to her lips, but 
seeing how Heidi drank hers up without hesitating, 
and how much she seemed to like it, Clara did the 
same, and drank till there was not a drop left, for 
she too found it delicious, tasting just as if sugar and 
cinnamon had been mixed with it. 

“ To-morrow we will drink two,” said the grand¬ 
father, who had looked on with satisfaction at seeing 
her follow Heidi’s example. 

Peter now arrived with the goats, and while Heidi 
was receiving her usual crowded morning greetings. 
Uncle drew Peter aside to speak to him, for the goats 


LIFE AT GRANDFATHER’S 299 

bleated so loudly and continuously in their wish to 
express their joy and affection that no one could be 
heard near them. 

“ Attend to what I have to say,” he said. “ From 
to-day be sure you let Little Swan go where she likes. 
She has an instinct where to find the best food for 
herself, and so if she wants to climb higher, you 
follow her, and it will do the others no harm if they 
go too; on no account bring her back. A little more 
climbing won’t hurt you, and in this matter she prob¬ 
ably knows better than you what is good for her; I 
want her to give as fine milk as possible. Why are 
you looking over there as if you wanted to eat some¬ 
body? Nobody will interfere with you. So now be 
off and remember what I say.” 

Peter was accustomed to give immediate obedience 
to Uncle, and he marched off with his goats, but with 
a turn of the head and roll of the eye that showed 
he had some thought in reserve. The goats carried 
Heidi along with them a little way, which was what 
Peter wanted. ‘‘ You will have to come with them,” 
he called to her, “ for I shall be obliged to follow 
Little Swan.” 

“ I cannot,” Heidi called back from the midst of her 
friends, ‘‘ and I shall not be able to come for a long, 
long time — not as long as Clara is with me. Grand¬ 
father, however, has promised to go up the mountain 
with both of us one day.” 

Heidi had now extricated herself from the goats 
and she ran back to Clara. Peter doubled his fists 
and made threatening gestures towards the invalid 


300 


HEIDI 


on her couch, and then climbed up some distance 
without pause until he was out of sight, for he was 
afraid Uncle might have seen him, and he did not 
care to know what Uncle might have thought of 
the fists. 

Clara and Heidi had made so many plans for them¬ 
selves that they hardly knew where to begin. Heidi 
suggested that they should first write to grand¬ 
mamma, to whom they had promised to send word 
every day, for grandmamma had not felt sure whether 
it would in the long run suit Clara’s health to remain 
up the mountain, or if she would continue to enjoy 
herself there. With daily news of her granddaughter 
she could stay on without anxiety at Ragatz, and be 
ready to go to Clara at a moment’s notice. 

“ Must we go indoors to write? ” asked Clara, who 
agreed to Heidi’s proposal but did not want to move 
from where she was, as it was so much nicer outside. 
Heidi was prepared to arrange everything. She ran 
in and brought out her school-book and writing 
things and her own little stool. She put her reading 
book and copy book on Clara’s knees, to make a desk 
for her to write upon, and she herself took her seat 
on the stool and sat to the bench, and then they both 
began writing to grandmamma. But Clara paused 
after every sentence to look about her; it was too 
beautiful for much letter writing. The breeze had 
sunk a little, and now only gently fanned her face 
and whispered lightly through the fir trees. Little 
winged insects hummed and danced around her in the 
clear air, and a great stillness lay over the far, wide, 


LIFE AT GRANDFATHER’S 301 

sunny pasture lands. Lofty and silent rose the high 
mountain peaks above her, and below lay the whole 
broad valley full of quiet peace. Only now and 
again the call of some shepherd-boy rang out through 
the air, and echo answered softly from the rocks. 
The morning passed, the children hardly knew how, 
and now grandfather came with the mid-day bowls 
of steaming milk, for the little daughter, he said, was 
to remain out as long as there was a gleam of sun in 
the sky. The mid-day meal was set out and eaten 
as yesterday in the open air. Then Heidi pushed 
Clara’s chair under the fir trees, for they had agreed 
to spend the afternoon under their shade and there 
tell each other all that had happened since Heidi left 
Frankfurt. If everything had gone on there as usual 
in a general way, there were still all kinds of particu¬ 
lar things to tell Heidi about the various people who 
composed the Sesemann household, and who were 
all so well known to Heidi. 

So they sat and chatted under the trees, and the 
more lively grew their conversation, the more loudly 
sang the birds overhead, as if wishing to take part 
in the children’s gossip, which evidently pleased 
them. So the hours flew by and all at once, as it 
seemed, the evening had come with the returning 
Peter, who still scowled and looked angry. 

“ Good-night, Peter,” called out Heidi, as she saw 
he had no intention of stopping to speak. 

“ Good-night, Peter,” called out Clara in a friendly 
voice. Peter took no notice and went surlily on with 
his goats. 


302 


HEIDI 


As Clara saw the grandfather leading away Little 
Swan to milk her, she was suddenly taken with a 
longing for another bowlful of the fragrant milk, and 
waited impatiently for it. 

‘‘ Isn’t it curious, Heidi,” she said, astonished at 
herself, “ as long as I can remember I have only 
eaten because I was obliged to, and everything used 
to seem to taste of cod liver oil, and I was always 
wishing there was no need to eat or drink; and now 
I am longing for grandfather to bring me the milk.” 

“ Yes, I know what it feels like,” replied Heidi, who 
remembered the many days in Frankfurt when all 
her food used to seem to stick in her throat. Clara, 
however, could not understand it; the fact was that 
she had never in her life before spent a whole day 
in the open air, much less in such high, life-giving 
mountain air. When grandfather at last brought her 
the evening milk, she drank it up so quickly that she 
had emptied her bowl before Heidi, and then she 
asked for a little more. The grandfather went inside 
with both the children’s bowls, and when he brought 
them out again full he had something else to add to 
their supper. He had walked over that afternoon 
to a herdsman’s house where the sweetly-tasting 
butter was made, and had brought home a large pat, 
some of which he had now spread thickly on two good 
slices of bread. He stood and watched with pleasure 
while Clara and Heidi ate their appetising meal with 
childish hunger and enjo5mient. 

That night, when Clara lay down in her bed and 
prepared to watch the stars, her eyes would not keep 


303 


LIFE AT GRANDFATHER’S 

open, and she fell asleep as soon as Heidi and slept 
soundly all night — a thing she never remembered 
having done before. The following day and the day 
after passed in the same pleasant fashion, and the 
third day there came a surprise for the children. 
Two stout porters came up the mountain, each carry¬ 
ing a bed on his shoulders with bedding of all kinds 
and two beautiful new white coverlids. The men 
also had a letter with them from grandmamma, in 
which she said that these were for Clara and Heidi, 
and that Heidi in future was always to sleep in a 
proper bed, and when she went down to Dorfli in the 
winter she was to take one with her and leave the 
other at the hut, so that Clara might always know 
there was a bed ready for her when she paid a visit 
to the mountain. She went on to thank the children 
for their long letters and encouraged them to con¬ 
tinue writing daily, so that she might be able to 
picture all they were doing. 

So the grandfather went up and threw back the 
hay from Heidi’s bed on to the great heap, and then 
with his help the beds were transported to the loft. 
He put them close to one another so that the children 
might still be able to see out of the window, for he 
knew what pleasure they had in the light from the 
sun and stars. 

Meanwhile grandmamma down at Ragatz was re¬ 
joicing at the excellent news of the invalid which 
reached her daily from the mountain. Clara found 
the life more charming each day and could not say 
enough of the kindness and care which the grand- 


304 


HEIDI 


father lavished upon her, nor of Heidi’s lively and 
amusing companionship, for the latter was more 
entertaining even than when in Frankfurt with her, 
and Clara’s first thought when she woke each morn¬ 
ing was, “ Oh, how glad I am to be here still.” 

Having such fresh assurances each day that all was 
going well with Clara, grandmamma thought she 
might put off her visit to the children a little longer, 
for the steep ride up and down was somewhat of a 
fatigue to her. 

The grandfather seemed to feel an especial 
sympathy for this little invalid charge, for he 
tried to think of something fresh every day to help 
forward her recovery. He climbed up the mountain 
every afternoon, higher and higher each day, and 
came home in the evening with a large bunch of 
leaves which scented the air with a mingled fragrance 
as of carnations and thyme, even from afar. He 
hung it up in the goat shed, and the goats on their 
return were wild to get at it, for they recognised the 
smell. But Uncle did not go climbing after rare 
plants to give the goats the pleasure of eating them 
without any trouble of finding them; what he gath¬ 
ered was for Little Swan alone, that she might give 
extra fine milk, and the effect of the extra feeding 
was shown in the way she flung her head in the air 
with ever-increasing frolicsomeness, and in the bright 
glow of her eye. 

Clara had now been on the mountain for three 
weeks. For some days past the grandfather, each 
morning after carrying her down, had said, “ Won’t 


LIFE AT GRANDFATHER’S 305 

the little daughter try if she can stand for a minute 
or two? ” And Clara had made the effort in order to 
please him, but had clung to him as soon as her feet 
touched the ground, exclaiming that it hurt her so. 
He let her try a little longer, however, each day. 

It was many years since they had had such a 
splendid summer among the mountains. Day after 
day there were the same cloudless sky and brilliant 
sun; the flowers opened wide their fragrant blossoms, 
and everywhere the eye was greeted with a glow of 
color; and when the evening came the crimson light 
fell on mountain peaks and on the great snow-field, 
till at last the sun sank in a sea of golden flame. 

And Heidi never tired of telling Clara of all this, 
for only higher up could the full glory of the colors 
be rightly seen; and more particularly did she dwell 
on the beauty of the spot on the higher slope of the 
mountain, where the bright golden rock-roses grew 
in masses, and the blue flowers were in such numbers 
that the very grass seemed to have turned blue, while 
near these were whole bushes of the brown blossoms, 
with their delicious scent, so that you never wanted 
to move again when you once sat down among 
them. 

She had just been expatiating on the flowers as she 
sat with Clara under the fir trees one evening, and 
had been telling her again of the wonderful light from 
the evening sun, when such an irrepressible longing 
came over her to see it all once more that the jumped 
up and ran to her grandfather, who was in the shed, 
calling out almost before she was inside,— 


HEIDI 


306 

“ Grandfather, will you take us out with the goats 
to-morrow? Oh, it is so lovely up there now! ’’ 

“ Very well,’’ he answered, ‘‘ but if I do, the little 
daughter must do something to please me: she must 
try her best again this evening to stand on her feet.” 

Heidi ran back with the good news to Clara, and 
the latter promised to try her very best as the grand¬ 
father wished, for she looked forward immensely to 
the next day’s excursion. Heidi was so pleased and 
excited that she called out to Peter as soon as she 
caught sight of him that evening,— 

“ Peter, Peter, we are all coming out with you to¬ 
morrow and are going to stay up there the whole 
day.” 

Peter, cross as a bear, grumbled some reply, and 
lifted his stick to give Greenfinch a blow for no reason 
in particular, but Greenfinch saw the movement, and 
with a leap over Snowflake’s back she got out of the 
way, and the stick only hit the air. 

Clara and Heidi got into their two fine beds that 
night full of delightful anticipation of the morrow; 
they were so full of their plans that they agreed to 
keep awake all night and talk over them until they 
might venture to get up. But their heads had no 
sooner touched their soft pillows than the conversa¬ 
tion suddenly ceased, and Clara fell into a dream of 
an immense field, which loked the color of the sky, 
so thickly inlaid was it with blue bell-shaped flowers; 
and Heidi heard the great bird of prey calling to her 
from the heights above, ‘‘ Come! come! come! ” 



U NCLE went out early the next morning to 
see what kind of a day it was going to be. 
There was a reddish gold light over the 
higher peaks; a light breeze springing up and the 
branches of the fir trees moved gently to and fro — 
the sun was on its way. 

The old man stood and watched the green slopes 
under the higher peaks gradually growing brighter 
with the coming day and the dark shadows lifting 
from the valley, until at first a rosy light filled its 
hollows, and then the morning gold flooded every 
height and depth — the sun had risen. 

Uncle wheeled the chair out of the shed ready for 
the coming journey, and then went in to call the 
children and tell them what a lovely sunrise it was. 

Peter came up at this moment. The goats did not 
gather round him so trustfully as usual, but seemed 
to avoid him timidly, for Peter had reached a high 
pitch of anger and bitterness, and was laying about 
him with his stick very unnecessarily, and where it 
fell the blow was no light one. For weeks now he 
had not had Heidi all to himself as formerly. When 
he came up in the morning the invalid child was al¬ 
ways already in her chair and Heidi fully occupied 

with her. And it was the same thing over again 

307 





HEIDI 


308 

when he came down in the evening. She had not 
come out with the goats once this summer, and now 
to-day she was only coming in company with her 
friend and the chair, and would stick by the latter’s 
side the whole time. It was the thought of this 
which was making him particularly cross this morn¬ 
ing. There stood the chair on its high wheels; Peter 
seemed to see something proud and distainful about 
it, and he glared at it as at an enemy that had done 
him harm and was likely to do him more still to-day. 
He glanced round — there was no sound anywhere, 
no one to see him. He sprang forward like a wild 
creature, caught hold of it, and gave it a violent and 
angry push in the direction of the slope. The chair 
rolled swiftly forward and in another minute had dis¬ 
appeared. 

Peter now sped up the mountain as if on wings, not 
pausing till he was well in shelter of a large black- 
berrybush, for he had no wish to be seen by Uncle. 
But he was anxious to see what had become of the 
chair, and his bush was well placed for that. Him¬ 
self hidden, he could watch what happened below 
and see what Uncle did without being discovered him¬ 
self. So he looked, and there he saw his enemy 
running faster and faster down hill, then it turned 
head over heels several times, and finally, after one 
great bound, rolled over and over to its complete 
destruction. The pieces ftew in every direction — 
feet, arms, and torn fragments of the padded seat and 
bolster — and Peter experienced a feeling of such un¬ 
bounded delight at the sight that he leapt in the air. 


SOMETHING HAPPENS 309 

laughing aloud and stamping for joy; then he took a 
run round, jumping over bushes on the way, only to 
return to the same spot and fall into fresh fits of 
laughter. He was beside himself with satisfaction, 
for he could see only good results for himself in this 
disaster to his enemy. Now Heidi’s friend would 
be obliged to go away, for she would have no means 
of going about, and when Heidi was alone again she 
would come out with him as in the old days, and 
everything would go on in the proper way again. 
But Peter did not consider, or did not know, that 
when we do a wrong thing trouble is sure to follow. 

Heidi now came running out of the hut and round 
to the shed. Grandfather was behind with Clara in 
his arms. The shed stood wide open, the two loose 
planks having been taken down, and it was quite light 
inside. Heidi looked into every corner and ran from 
one end to the other, and then stood still wondering 
what could have happened to the chair. Grand¬ 
father now came up. 

“ How is this, have you wheeled the chair away, 
Heidi?” 

“ I have been looking everywhere for it, grand¬ 
father; you said it was standing ready outside,” and 
she again searched each corner of the shed with her 
eyes. 

At that moment the wind, which had risen sud¬ 
denly, blew open the shed door and sent it banging 
back against the wall. 

“ It must have been the wind, grandfather,” ex¬ 
claimed Heidi, and her eyes grew anxious at this 


310 


HEIDI 


sudden discovery. “ Oh! if it has blown the chair 
all the way down to Dorfli we shall not get it back in 
time, and shall not be able to go.” 

“ If it has rolled as far as that it will never come 
back, for it is in a hundred pieces by now,” said the 
grandfather, going round the corner and looking 
down. “ But it’s a curious thing to have happened! 
he added as he thought over the matter, for the chair 
would have had to turn a corner before starting down 
hill. 

“ Oh, I am sorry,” lamented Clara, “ for we shall 
not be able to go to-day, or perhaps any other day. 
I shall have to go home, I suppose, if I have no chair. 
Oh, I am so sorry, I am so sorry! ” 

But Heidi looked towards her grandfather with her 
usual expression of confidence. 

“ Grandfather, you will be able to do something, 
won’t you, so that it need not be as Clara says, and 
so that she is not obliged to go home ? ” 

“ Well, for the present we will go up the mountain 
as we had arranged, and then later on we will see 
what can be done,” he answered, much to the 
children’s delight. 

He went indoors, fetched out a pile of shawls, and 
laying them on the sunniest spot he could find set 
Clara down upon them. Then he fetched the 
children’s morning milk and had out his two goats. 

‘‘ Why is Peter not here yet? ” thought Uncle to 
himself, for Peter’s whistle had not been sounded 
that morning. The grandfather now took Clara up 
on one arm, and the shawls on the other. 


SOMETHING HAPPENS 311 

“ Now then we will start,” he said; “ the goats can 
come with us.” 

Heidi was pleased at this and walked on after her 
grandfather with an arm over either of the goats’ 
necks, and the animals were so overjoyed to have her 
again that they nearly squeezed her flat between 
them out of sheer affection. When they reached the 
spot where the goats usually pastured they were sur¬ 
prised to find them already feeding there, climbing 
about the rocks, and Peter with them, lying his full 
length on the ground. 

“ I’ll teach you another time to go by like that, 
you lazy rascal! What do you mean by it? ” Uncle 
called to him. 

Peter, recognising the voice, jumped up like a shot. 
“ No one was up,” he answered. 

“ Have you seen anything of the chair? ” asked the 
grandfather. 

“ Of what chair? ” called Peter back in answer in a 
morose tone of voice. 

Uncle said no more. He spread the shawls on the 
sunny slope, and setting Clara upon them asked if 
she was comfortable. 

“ As comfortable as in my chair,” she said, thank¬ 
ing him, “ and this seems the most beautiful spot. O 
Heidi, it is lovely, it is lovely!” she cried, looking 
round her with delight. 

The grandfather prepared to leave them. They 
would now be safe and happy together, he said, and 
when it was time for dinner Heidi was to go and 
fetch the bag from the shady hollow where he had 


312 


HEIDI 


pul: it; Peter was to bring them as much milk as they 
wanted, but Heidi was to see that it was Little Swan’s 
milk. He would come and fetch them towards even¬ 
ing; he must now be off to see after the chair and 
ascertain what had become of it. 

The sky was dark blue, and not a single cloud was 
to be seen from one horizon to the other. The great 
snow-field overhead sparkled as if set with thousands 
and thousands of gold and silver stars. The two 
grey mountains peaks lifted their lofty heads against 
the sky and looked solemnly down upon the valley as 
of old; the great bird was poised aloft in the clear 
blue air, and the mountain wind came over the 
heights and blew refreshingly around the children as 
they sat on the sunlit slope. It was all indescribably 
enjoyable to Clara and Heidi. Now and again a 
young goat came and lay down beside them; Snow¬ 
flake came oftenest, putting her little head down near 
Heidi, and only moving because another goat came 
and drove her away. Clara had learned to know 
them all so well that she never mistook one for the 
other now, for each had an expression and ways of 
its own. And the goats had also grown familiar with 
Clara and would rub their heads against her shoulder, 
which was always a sign of acquaintanceship and 
goodwill. 

Some hours went by, and Heidi began to think that 
she might just go over to the spot where all the 
flowers grew to see if they were fully blown and look¬ 
ing as lovely as the year before. Clara could not go 
until grandfather came back that evening, when the 


SOMETHING HAPPENS 313 

flowers probably would be already closed. The long¬ 
ing to go became stronger and stronger, till she felt 
she could not resist it. 

“ Would you think me unkind, Clara,” she said 
rather hesitatingly, “ if I left you for a few minutes? 
I should run there and back very quickly. I want 
so to see how the flowers are looking — but wait —” 
for an idea had come into Heidi’s head. She ran and 
picked a bunch or two of green leaves, and then took 
hold of Snowflake and led her up to Clara. 

“ There, now you will not be alone,” said Heidi, 
giving the goat a little push to show her she was to 
lie down near Clara, which the animal quite under¬ 
stood. Heidi threw the leaves into Clara’s lap, and 
the latter told her friend to go at once to look at the 
flowers as she was quite happy to be left with the 
goat; she liked this new experience. Heidi ran off, 
and Clara began to hold out the leaves one by one to 
Snowflake, who snoozled up to her new friend in a 
confiding manner and slowly ate the leaves from her 
hand. It was easy to see that Snowflake enjoyed 
this peaceful and sheltered way of feeding, for when 
with the other goats she had much persecution to en¬ 
dure from the larger and stronger ones of the flock. 
And Clara found a strange new pleasure in sitting 
all alone like this on the mountain side, her only 
companion a little goat that looked to her for protec¬ 
tion. She suddenly felt a great desire to be her own 
mistress and to be able to help others, instead of her¬ 
self being always dependent as she was now. Many 
thoughts, unknown to her before, came crowding into 


314 


HEIDI 


her mind, and a longing to go on living in the sun¬ 
shine, and to be doing something that would bring 
happiness to another, as now she was helping to make 
the goat happy. An unaccustomed feeling of joy 
took possession of her, as if everything she had ever 
known or felt became all at once more beautiful, and 
she seemed to see all things in a new light, and so 
strong was the sense of this new beauty and happi¬ 
ness that she threw her arms round the little goat’s 
neck, and exclaimed, “ O Snowflake, how delightful 
it is up here! if only I could stay on for ever with 
you beside me! ” 

Heidi had meanwhile reached her field of flowers, 
and as she caught sight of it she uttered a cry of joy. 
The whole ground in front of her was a mass of 
shimmering gold, where the cistus flowers spread 
their yellow blossoms. Above them waved whole 
bushes of the deep blue bell-flowers; while the 
fragrance that arose from the whole sunlit expanse 
was as if the rarest balsam had been flung over it. 
The scent, however, came from the small brown 
flowers, the little round heads of which rose modestly 
here and there among the yellow blossoms. Heidi 
stood and gazed and drew in the delicious air. Sud¬ 
denly she turned round and reached Clara’s side out 
of breath with running and excitement. “ Oh, you 
must come,” she called out as soon as she came in 
sight, ‘‘ it is more beautiful than you can imagine, 
and perhaps this evening it may not be so lovely. 
I believe I could carry you, don’t you think I could? ” 

Clara looked at her and shook her head. “ Why, 


SOMETHING HAPPENS 315 

Heidi, what can you be thinking of! you are smaller 
than I am. Oh, if only I could walk! ” 

Heidi looked round as if in search of something, 
some new idea had evidently come into her head. 
Peter was sitting up above looking down on the two 
children. He had been sitting and staring before 
him in the same way for hours, as if he could not 
make out what he saw. He had destroyed the chair 
so that the friend might not be able to move any¬ 
where and that her visit might come to an end, and 
then a little while after she had appeared right up 
here under his very nose with Heidi beside her. He 
thought his eyes must deceive him, and yet there she 
was and no mistake about it. 

Heidi now looked up to where he was sitting and 
called out in a peremptory voice, “ Peter, come down 
here! 

“ I don’t wish to come,” he called in reply. 

“ But you are to, you must; I cannot do it alone, 
and you must come here and help me; make haste 
and come down,” she called again in an urgent voice. 

“ I shall do nothing of the kind,” was the answer. 

Heidi ran some way up the slope towards him, and 
then pausing called again, her eyes ablaze with anger, 
“ If you don’t come at once, Peter, I will do some¬ 
thing to you that you won’t like; I mean what I say.” 

Peter felt an inward throe at these words, and a 
great fear seized him. He had done something 
wicked which he wanted no one to know about, and 
so far he had thought himself safe. But now Heidi 
spoke exactly as if she knew everything, and what- 


HEIDI 


316 

ever she did know she would tell her grandfather, 
and there was no one he feared so much as this 
latter person. Supposing he were to suspect what 
had happened about the chair! Peter’s anguish of 
mind grew more acute. He stood up and went down 
to where Heidi was awaiting him. 

“ I am coming and you won’t do what you said.” 

Peter appeared now so submissive with fear that 
Heidi felt quite sorry for him and answered assur- 
ingly, “ No, no, of course not; come along with me, 
there is nothing to be afraid of in what I want you 
to do.” 

As soon as they got to Clara, Heidi gave her 
orders: Peter was to take hold of her under the 
arms on one side and she on the other, and together 
they were to lift her up. This first movement was 
successfully carried through, but then came the diffi¬ 
culty. As Clara could not even stand, how were 
they to support her and get her along? Heidi was 
too small for her arm to serve Clara to lean upon. 

“ You must put one arm well around my neck — 
so, and put the other through Peter’s and lean firmly 
upon it, then we shall be able to carry you.” 

Peter, however, had never given his arm to any 
one in his life. Clara put hers in his, but he kept his 
own hanging down straight beside him like a stick. 

“That’s not the way, Peter,” said Heidi in an 
authoritative voice. “You must put your arm out 
in the shape of a ring, and Clara must put hers 
through it and lean her weight upon you, and what- 


SOMETHING HAPPENS 317 

ever you do, don’t let your arm give way; like that 
I am sure we shall be able to manage.” 

Peter did as he was told, but still they did not get 
on very well. Clara was not such a light weight, 
and the team did not match very well in size; it was 
up one side and down the other, so that the sup¬ 
ports were rather wobbly. 

Clara tried to use her own feet a little, but each 
time drew them quickly back. 

“ Put your foot down firmly once,” suggested 
Heidi, “ I am sure it will hurt you less after that.” 

“Do you think so?” said Clara hesitatingly, but 
she followed Heidi’s advice and ventured one firm 
step on the ground and then another; she called out 
a little as she did it; then she lifted her foot again 
and went on, “ Oh, that was less painful already,” 
she exclaimed joyfully. 

“ Try again,” said Heidi encouragingly. 

And Clara went on putting one foot out after an¬ 
other until all at once she called out, “ I can do it, 
Heidi! look! look! I can make proper steps! ” 

And Heidi cried out with even greater delight, 
“ Can you really make steps, can you really walk? 
really walk by yourself? Oh, if only grandfather 
were here! ” and she continued gleefully to exclaim, 
“ You can walk now, Clara, you can walk! ” 

Clara still held on firmly to her supports, but with 
every step she felt safer on her feet, as all three be¬ 
came aware, and Heidi was beside herself with joy. 

“Now we shall be able to come up here to- 


HEIDI 


318 

gather every day, and go just where we like; and 
you will be able all your life to walk about as I do, 
and not have to be pushed in a chair, and you will 
get quite strong and well. It is the greatest happi¬ 
ness we could have had! ” 

And Clara heartily agreed, for she could think of 
. no greater joy in the world than to be strong and 
able to go about like other people, and no longer to 
have to lie from day to day in her invalid chair. 

They had not far to go to reach the field of 
flowers, and could already catch sight of the cistus 
flowers glowing gold in the sun. As they came 
to the bushes of the blue bell flowers, with sunny, 
inviting patches of warm ground between them, 
Clara said, ‘‘ Mightn’t we sit down here for a while? ” 
This was just what Heidi enjoyed, and so the 
children sat down in the midst of the flowers, Clara 
for the first time on the dry, warm mountain grass, 
and she found it indescribably delightful. Around 
her were the blue flowers softly waving to and fro, 
and beyond the gleaming patches of the cistus flowers 
and the red centaury, while the sweet scent of the 
brown blossoms and of the fragrant prunella en¬ 
veloped her as she sat. Everything was so lovely! 
so lovely! And Heidi, who was beside her, thought 
she had never seen it so perfectly beautiful up here 
before, and she did not know herself why she felt 
so glad at heart that she longed to shout for joy. 
Then she suddenly remembered that Clara was 
cured; that was the crowning delight of all that 
made life so delightful in the midst of all this sur- 


SOMETHING HAPPENS 319 

rounding beauty. Clara sat silent, overcome with 
the enchantment of all that her eye rested upon, and 
with the anticipation of all the happiness that was 
now before her. There seemed hardly room in her 
heart for all her joyful emotions, and these and the 
ecstasy aroused by the sunlight and the scent of the 
flowers, held her dumb. 

Peter also lay among the flowers without moving 
or speaking, for he was fast asleep. The breeze 
came blowing softly and caressingly from behind the 
sheltering rocks, and passed whisperingly through 
the bushes overhead. Heidi got up now and then 
to run about, for the flowers waving in the warm 
wind seemed to smell sweeter and to grow more 
thickly whichever way she went, and she felt she 
must sit down at each fresh spot to enjoy the sight 
and scent. So the hours went by. 

It was long past noon when a small troop of goats 
advanced solemnly towards the plain of flowers. It 
was not a feeding place of theirs, for they did not 
care to graze on flowers. They looked like an em¬ 
bassy arriving, with Greenfinch as their leader. They 
had evidently come in search of their companions 
who had left them in the lurch, and who had, con¬ 
trary to all custom, remained away so long, for the 
goats could tell the time without mistake. As soon 
as Greenfinch caught sight of the three missing 
friends amid the flowers she set up an extra loud 
bleat, whereupon all the others joined in a chorus 
of bleats, and the whole company came trotting to¬ 
wards the children. Peter woke up, rubbing his 


320 


HEIDI 


eyes, for he had been dreaming that he saw the 
chair again with its beautiful red padding standing 
whole and uninjured before the grandfather’s door, 
and indeed just as he awoke he thought he was look¬ 
ing at the brass-headed nails that studded it all 
round, but it was only the bright yellow flowers 
beside him. He experienced again a dreadful fear 
of mind that he had lost in this dream of the unin¬ 
jured chair. Even though Heidi had promised not 
to do anything, there still remained the lively dread 
that his deed might be found out in some other way. 
He allowed Heidi to do what she liked with him, for 
he was reduced to such a state of low spirits and 
meekness that he was ready to give his help to Clara 
without murmur or resistance. 

When all three had got back to their old quarters 
Heidi ran and brought forward the bag, and pro¬ 
ceeded to fulfil her promise, for her threat of the 
morning had been concerned with Peter’s dinner. 
She had seen her grandfather putting in all sorts 
of good things, and had been pleased to think of 
Peter having a large share of them, and she had 
meant him to understand when he refused at first 
to help her that he would get nothing for his dinner, 
but Peter’s conscience had put another interpretation 
upon her words. Heidi took the food out of the bag 
and divided it into three portions, and each was of 
such a goodly size that she thought to herself, 
“There will be plenty of ours left for him to have 
more still.” 

She gave the other two their dinners and sat down 


SOMETHING HAPPENS 321 

with her own beside Clara, and they all three ate 
with a good appetite after their great exertions. 

It ended as Heidi had expected, and Peter got as 
much food again as his own share with what Clara 
and Heidi had over from theirs after they had both 
eaten as much as they wanted. Peter ate up every 
bit of food to the last crumb, but there was some¬ 
thing wanting to his usual enjoyment of a good 
dinner, for every mouthful he swallowed seemed to 
choke him, and he felt something gnawing inside 
him. 

They were so late at their dinner that they had 
not long to wait after they had finished before grand¬ 
father came up to fetch them. Heidi rushed for¬ 
ward to meet him as soon as he appeared, as she 
wanted to be the first to tell him the good news. She 
was so excited that she could hardly get her words 
out when she did get up to him, but he soon under¬ 
stood, and a look of extreme pleasure came into his 
face. He hastened up to where Clara was sitting and 
said with a cheerful smile, “ So weVe made the effort, 
have we, and won the day! ” 

Then he lifted her up, and putting his left arm be¬ 
hind her and giving her his right to lean upon, made 
her walk a little way, which she did with less trem¬ 
bling and hesitation than before now that she had 
such a strong arm round her. 

Heidi skipped along beside her in triumphant glee, 
and the grandfather looked too as if some happiness 
had befallen him. But now he took Clara up in 
his arms. “ We must not overdo it,’* he said, “ and 


322 


HEIDI 


it is high time we went home,” and he started off 
down the mountain path, for he was anxious to get 
her indoors that she might rest after her unusual 
fatigue. 

When Peter got to Dorfli that evening he found 
a large group of people collected round a certain 
spot, pushing one another and looking over each 
other’s shoulders in their eagerness to catch sight of 
something lying on the ground. Peter thought he 
should like to see too, and poked and elbowed till he 
made his way through. 

There it lay, the thing he had wanted to see. 
Scattered about the grass were the remains of 
Clara’s chair; part of the back and the middle bit, 
and enough of the red padding and the bright nails 
to show how magnificent the chair had been when 
it was entire. 

“ I was here when the men passed carrying it up,” 
said the baker who was standing near Peter. “ I’ll 
bet any one that it was worth twenty-five pounds at 
least. I cannot think how such an accident could 
have happened.” 

“ Uncle said the wind might perhaps have done 
it,” remarked one of the women, who could not 
sufficiently admire the red upholstery. 

It’s a good job that no one but the wind did it,” 
said the baker again, “ or he might smart for it! No 
doubt the gentleman in Frankfurt when he hears 
what has happened will make all inquiries about it. 
I am glad for myself that I have not been seen up the 


SOMETHING HAPPENS 323 

mountain for a good two years, as suspicion is likely 
to fall on any one who was about up there at the 
time.” 

Many more opinions were passed on the matter, 
but Peter had heard enough. He crept quietly away 
out of the crowd and then took to his heels and ran 
up home as fast as he could, as if he thought some 
one was after him. The baker’s words had filled him 
with fear and trembling. He was sure now that 
any day a constable might come over from Frankfurt 
and inquire about the destruction of the chair, and 
then everything would come out, and he would be 
seized and carried off to Frankfurt and there put in 
prison. The whole picture of what was coming was 
clear before him, and his hair stood on end with 
terror. 

He reached home in this disturbed state of mind. 
He would not open his mouth in reply to anything 
that was said to him; he would not eat his potatoes; 
all he did was to creep off to bed as quickly as pos¬ 
sible and hide under the bedclothes and groan. 

“ Peter has been eating sorrel again, and is evi¬ 
dently in pain by the way he is groaning,” said 
Brigitta. 

“ You must give him a little more bread to take 
with him; give him a bit of mine to-morrow,” said the 
grandmother sympathisingly. 

As the children lay that night in bed looking out 
at the stars Heidi said, “ I have been thinking all day 
what a happy thing it is that God does not give us 


324 


HEIDI 


what we ask for, even when we pray and pray and 
pray, if He knows there is something better for us; 
have you felt like that? ” 

Why do you ask me that to-night all of a sud¬ 
den? ” asked Clara. 

“ Because I prayed so hard when I was in Frank¬ 
furt that I might go home at once, and because I 
was not allowed to I thought God had forgotten me. 
And now you see, if I had come away at first when 
I wanted to, you would never have come here, and 
would never have got well.” 

Clara had in her turn become thoughtful. “ But, 
Heidi,” she began again, “ in that case we ought 
never to pray for anything, as God always intends 
something better for us than we know or wish for.” 

“ You must not think it is like that, Clara,” re¬ 
plied Heidi eagerly. “We must go on praying for 
everything, for everything, so that God may know 
we do not forget that it all comes from Him. If 
we forget God, then He lets us go our own way and 
we get into trouble; grandmamma told me so. And 
if He does not give us what we ask for we must 
not think that He has not heard us and leave ofE 
praying, but we must still pray and say, I am sure, 
dear God, that Thou art keeping something better 
for me, and I will not be unhappy, for I know that 
Thou wilt make everything right in the end.” 

“How did you learn all that?” asked Clara. 

“ Grandmamma explained it to me first of all, and 
then when it all happened just as she said, I knew 
it myself, and I think, Clara,” she went on, as she sat 


SOMETHING HAPPENS 325 

up in bed, “we ought certainly to thank God to¬ 
night that you can walk now, and that He has made 
us so happy.” 

“ Yes, Heidi, I am sure you are right, and I am 
glad you reminded me; I almost forgot my prayers 
for very joy.” 

Both children said their prayers, and each thanked 
God in her own way for the blessing He had be¬ 
stowed on Clara, who had for so long lain weak and 
ill. 

The next morning the grandfather suggested that 
they should now write to the grandmamma and ask 
her if she would not come and pay them a visit, as 
they had something new to show her. But the 
children had another plan in their heads, for they 
wanted to prepare a great surprise for grandmamma. 
Clara was first to have more practice in walking so 
that she might be able to go a little way by herself; 
above all things grandmamma was not to have a hint 
of it. They asked the grandfather how long he 
thought this would take, and when he told them about 
a week or less, they immediately sat down and wrote 
a pressing invitation to grandmamma, asking her to 
come soon, but no word was said about there being 
anything new to see. 

The following days were some of the most joyous 
that Clara had spent on the mountain. She awoke 
each morning with a happy voice within her crying, 
“ I am well now! I am well now! I shan’t have to 
go about in a chair, I can walk by myself like other 
people.” 


HEIDI 


326 

Then came the walking, and every day she found it 
easier and was able to go a longer distance. The 
movement gave her such an appetite that the grand¬ 
father cut his bread and butter a little thicker each 
day, and was well pleased to see it disappear. He 
now brought out with it a large jugful of the foaming 
milk and filled her little bowl over and over again. 
And so another week went by and the day came 
which was to bring grandmamma up the mountain for 
her second visit. 







,^7wenty^ 

^^^c77iree 


RANDMAMMA wrote the day before her ar¬ 



rival to let the children know that they might 


expect her without fail. Peter brought up 


the letter early the following morning. Grandfather 
and the children were already outside and the goats 
were awaiting him, shaking their heads frolicsomely 
in the fresh morning air, while the children stroked 
them and wished them a pleasant journey up the 
mountain. Uncle stood near, looking now at the 
fresh faces of the children, now at his well-kept goats, 
with a smile on his face, evidently well pleased with 
the sight of both. 

As Peter neared the group his steps slackened, and 
the instant he had handed the letter to Uncle he 
turned quickly away as if frightened, and as he went 
he gave a hasty glance behind him, as if the thing he 
feared was pursuing him, and then he gave a leap and 
ran off up the mountain. 

“ Grandfather,” said Heidi, who had been watching 
him with astonished eyes, “ why does Peter always 
behave now like the Great Turk when he thinks some¬ 
body is after him with a stick; he turns and shakes his 
head and goes off with a bound just like that? ” 

“ Perhaps Peter fancies he sees the stick which he 


327 



328 HEIDI 

so well deserves coming after him,” answered grand¬ 
father. 

Peter ran up the first slope without a pause; when 
he was well out of sight, however, he stood still and 
looked suspiciously about him. Suddenly he gave a 
jump and looked behind him with a terrified expres¬ 
sion, as if some one had caught hold of him by the 
nape of the neck; for Peter expected every minute 
that the police-constable from Frankfurt would leap 
out upon him from behind some bush or hedge. The 
longer his suspense lasted, the more frightened and 
miserable he became; he did not know a moment’s 
peace. 

Heidi now set about tidying the hut, as grand¬ 
mamma must find everything clean and in good order 
when she arrived. 

Clara looked on amused and interested to watch the 
busy Heidi at her work. 

So the morning soon went by, and grandmamma 
might now be expected at any minute. The children 
dressed themselves and went and sat together outside 
on the seat ready to receive her. 

Grandfather joined them, that they might see the 
splendid bunch of blue gentians which he had been 
up the mountain to gather, and the children exclaimed 
with delight at the beauty of the flowers as they shone 
in the morning sun. The grandfather then carried 
them indoors. Heidi jumped up from time to time 
to see if there was any sign of grandmamma’s ap¬ 
proach. 

At last she saw the procession winding up the 


GOOD-BYE 


329 

mountain just in the order she had expected. First 
there was the guide, then the white horse with grand¬ 
mamma mounted upon it, and last of all the porter 
with a heavy bundle on his back, for grandmamma 
would not think of going up the mountain without a 
full supply of wraps and rugs. 

Nearer and nearer wound the procession; at last 
it reached the top and grandmamma was there look¬ 
ing down on the children from her horse. She no 
sooner saw them, however, sitting side by side, than 
she began quickly dismounting, as she cried out in a 
shocked tone of voice, ** Why is this? why are you 
not lying in your chair, Clara? What are you all 
thinking about? ” But even before she had got close 
to them she threw up her hands in astonishment, ex¬ 
claiming further, “ Is it really you, dear child? Why, 
your cheeks have grown quite round and rosy! I 
should hardly have known you again! ” And she 
was hastening forward to embrace her, when Heidi 
slipped down from the seat, and Clara leaning on her 
shoulder, the two children began walking along quite 
coolly and naturally. Then indeed grandmamma was 
surprised, or rather alarmed, for she thought at first 
that it must be some unheard-of proceeding of Heidi’s 
devising. 

But no — Clara was actually walking steadily and 
uprightly beside Heidi — and now the two children 
turned and came towards her with beaming faces and 
rosy cheeks. Laughing and crying she ran to them 
and embraced first Clara and then Heidi, and then 
Clara again, unable to speak for joy. All at once she 


330 


HEIDI 


caught sight of Uncle standing by the seat and look¬ 
ing on smiling at the meeting. She took Clara’s arm 
in hers, and with continual expressions of delight at 
the fact that the child could now really walk about 
with her, she went up to the old man, and then letting 
go Clara’s arm she seized his hands. 

“ My dear Uncle! my dear Uncle! how much we 
have to thank you for! It is all your doing! it is your 
caring and nursing——” 

“And God’s good sun and mountain air,” he in¬ 
terrupted her, smiling. 

“ Yes, and don’t forget the beautiful milk I have,” 
put in Clara. “ Grandmamma, you can’t think what 
a quantity of goat’s milk I drink, and how nice it is! ” 

“ I can see that by your cheeks, child,” answered 
grandmamma. “ I really should not have known 
you; you have grown quite strong and plump, and 
taller too; I never hoped or expected to see you look 
like that. I cannot take my eyes off you, for I can 
hardly yet believe it. But now I must telegraph 
without delay to my son in Paris, and tell him he 
must come here at once. I shall not say why; it will 
be the greatest happiness he has ever known. My 
dear Uncle, how can I send a telegram; have you dis¬ 
missed the men yet? ” 

“ They have gone,” he answered, “ but if you are in 
a hurry I will fetch Peter, and he can take it for you.” 

Grandmamma thanked him, for she was anxious 
that the good news should not be kept from her son a 
day longer than was possible. 



GOOD-BYE 


331 


So Uncle went aside a little way and blew such a 
resounding whistle through his fingers that he awoke 
a responsive echo among the rocks far overhead. He 
had not to wait many minutes before Peter came 
running down in answer, for he knew the sound of 
Uncle’s whistle. Peter arrived, looking as white as a 
ghost, for he quite thought Uncle was sending for 
him to give him up. But as it was he only had a 
written paper given him with instructions to take it 
down at once to the post-office at Dorfii; Uncle 
would settle for the payment later, as it was not safe 
to give Peter too much to look after. 

Peter went off with the paper in his hand, feeling 
some relief of mind for the present, for as Uncle had 
not whistled for him in order to give him up it was 
evident that no policeman had yet arrived. 

So now they could all sit down in peace to their 
dinner round the table in front of the hut, and grand¬ 
mamma was given a detailed account of all that had 
taken place. How grandfather had made Clara try 
first to stand and then to move her feet a little every 
day, and how they had settled for the day’s excursion 
up the mountain and the chair had been blown away. 
How Clara’s desire to see the flowers had induced 
her to take the first walk, and so by degrees one thing 
had led to another. The recital took some time, for 
grandmamma continually interrupted it with fresh 
exclamations of surprise and thankfulness: “ It 

hardly seems possible! I can scarcely believe it is 
not all a dream! Are we really awake, and are all 


332 


HEIDI 


sitting here by the mountain hut, and is that round- 
faced, healthy-looking child my poor little, white, 
sickly Clara?” 

And Clara and Heidi could not get over their de¬ 
light at the success of the surprise they had so care¬ 
fully arranged for grandmamma and at the latter’s 
continued astonishment. 

Meanwhile Herr Sesemann, who had finished his 
business in Paris, had also been preparing a surprise. 
Without saying a word to his mother he got into the 
train one sunny morning and travelled that day to 
Basle; the next morning he continued his journey, for 
a great longing had seized him to see his little daugh¬ 
ter from whom he had been separated the whole sum¬ 
mer. He arrived at Ragatz a few hours after his 
mother had left. When he heard that she had that 
very day started for the mountain, he immediately 
hired a carriage and drove off to Mayenfeld; here he 
found that he could if he liked drive on as far as Dorfli, 
which he did, as he thought the walk up from that 
place would be as long as he cared for. 

Herr Sesemann found he was right, for the climb up 
the mountain, as it was, proved long and fatiguing to 
him. He went on and on, but still no hut came in 
sight, and yet he knew there was one where Peter 
lived half way up, for the path had been described to 
him over and over again. 

There were traces of climbers to be seen on all 
sides; the narrow footpaths seemed to run in every 
direction, and Herr Sesemann began to wonder if he 
was on the right one, and whether the hut lay per- 


GOOD-BYE 


333 


haps on the other side of the mountain. He looked 
round to see if any one was in sight of whom he could 
ask the way; but far and wide there was not a soul 
to be seen or a sound to be heard. Only at moments 
the mountain wind whistled through the air, and the 
insects hummed in the sunshine or a happy bird sang 
out from the branches of a solitary larch tree. Herr 
Sesemann stood still for a while to let the cool Alpine 
wind blow on his hot face. But now some one came 
running down the mountain-side — it was Peter with 
the telegram in his hand. He ran straight down the 
steep slope, not following the path on which Herr 
Sesemann was standing. As soon as the latter caught 
sight of him he beckoned to him to come. Peter 
advanced towards him slowly and timidly, with a 
sort of sidelong movement, as if he could only move 
one leg properly and had to drag the other after him. 

“ Hurry up, lad,” called Herr Sesemann, and when 
Peter was near enough, “Tell me,” he said, “ is this 
the way to the hut where the old man and the child 
Heidi live, and where the visitors from Frankfurt are 
staying? ” 

A low sound of fear was the only answer he re¬ 
ceived, as Peter turned to run away in such precipi¬ 
tous haste that he fell head over heels several times, 
and went rolling and bumping down the slope in in¬ 
voluntary bounds, just in the same way as the chair, 
only that Peter fortunately did not fall to pieces as 
that had done. Only the telegram came to grief, and 
that was torn into fragments and flew away. 

“ How extraordinarily timid these mountain 


334 


HEIDI 


dwellers are! ” thought Herr Sesemann to himself, 
for he quite believed that it was the sight of a stranger 
that had made such an impression on this unsophisti¬ 
cated child of the mountains. 

After watching Peter’s violent descent towards the 
valley for a few minutes he continued his journey. 

Peter, meanwhile, with all his efforts, could not 
stop himself, but went rolling on, and still tumbling 
head over heels at intervals in a most remarkable 
manner. 

But this was not the most terrible part of his suffer¬ 
ings at the moment, for far worse was the fear and 
horror that possessed him, feeling sure, as he did now, 
that the policeman had really come over for him from 
Frankfurt. He had no doubt at all that the stranger 
who had asked him the way was the very man himself. 
Just as he had rolled to the edge of that last high 
slope above Dbrfli he was caught in a bush, and at 
last able to keep himself from falling any farther. He 
lay still for a second or two to recover himself, and to 
think over matters. 

“Well done! another of you come bumping along 
like this! ” said a voice close to Peter, “ and which of 
you to-morrow is the wind going to send rolling down , 
like a badly-sewn sack of potatoes? ” It was the 
baker, who stood there laughing. He had been stroll¬ 
ing out to refresh himself after his hot day’s work, and 
had watched with amusement as he saw Peter come 
rolling over and over in much the same way as the 
chair. 

Peter was on his feet in a moment. He had re- 


GOOD-BYE 


335 


ceived a fresh shock. Without once looking behind 
him he began hurrying up the slope again. He would 
have liked best to go home and creep into bed, so as to 
hide himself, for he felt safest when there. But he 
had left the goats up above, and Uncle had given him 
strict injunctions to make haste back so that they 
might not be left too long alone. And he stood more 
in awe of Uncle than any one, and would not have 
dared to disobey him on any account. There was no 
help for it, he had to go back, and Peter went on 
groaning and limping. He could run no more, for 
the anguish of mind he had been through, and the 
bumping and shaking he had received, were beginning 
to tell upon him. And so with lagging steps and 
groans he slowly made his way up the mountain. 

Shortly after meeting Peter, Herr Sesemann passed 
the first hut, and so was satisfied that he was on the 
right path. He continued his climb with renewed 
courage, and at last, after a long and exhausting walk, 
he came in sight of his goal. There, only a little 
distance farther up, stood the grandfather’s home, 
with the dark tops of the fir trees waving above its 
roof. 

Herr Sesemann was delighted to have come to the 
last steep bit of his journey, in another minute or two 
he would be with his little daughter, and he pleased 
himself with the thought of her surprise. But the 
company above had seen his approaching figure and 
recognized who it was, and they were preparing 
something he little expected as a surprise on their 
part. 


HEIDI 


336 

As he stepped on to the space in front of the hut 
two figures came towards him. One a tall girl with 
fair hair and pink cheeks, leaning on Heidi, whose 
dark eyes were dancing with joy. Herr Sesemann 
suddenly stopped, staring at the two children, and all 
at once the tears started to his eyes. What mem¬ 
ories arose in his heart! Just so had Clara’s mother 
looked, the fair-haired girl with the delicate pink- 
and-white complexion. Herr Sesemann did not know 
if he was awake or dreaming. 

“ Don’t you know me, papa? ” called Clara to him, 
her face beaming with happiness. “ Am I so altered 
since you saw me?” 

Then Herr Sesemann ran to his child and clasped 
her in his arms. 

‘‘ Yes, you are indeed altered! How is it possible? 
Is it true what I see?” And the delighted father 
stepped back to look full at her again, and to make 
sure that the picture would not vanish before his 
eyes. 

“ Are you my little Clara, really my little Clara? ” 
he kept on saying, then he clasped her in his arms 
again, and again put her away from him that he 
might look and make sure it was she who stood be¬ 
fore him. 

And now grandmamma came up, anxious for a sight 
of her son’s happy face. 

“ Well, what do you say now, dear son? ” she ex¬ 
claimed. ‘‘ You have given us a pleasant surprise, 
but it is nothing in comparison to what we have pre¬ 
pared for you, you must confess,” and she gave her 


GOOD-BYE 


337 


son an affectionate kiss as she spoke. “ But now,” 
she went on, “ you must come and pay your respects 
to Uncle, v/ho is our chief benefactor.” 

“ Yes, indeed, and with the little inmate of our own 
house, our little Heidi, too,” said Herr Sesemann, 
shaking Heidi by the hand. “Well? are you still 
well and happy in your mountain home? but I need 
not ask, no Alpine rose could look more blooming. 
I am glad, child, it is a pleasure to me to see you so.” 

And Heidi looked up with equal pleasure into Herr 
Sesemann’s kind face. How good he had always 
been to her! And that he should find such happiness 
awaiting him up here on the mountain made her 
heart beat with gladness. 

Grandmamma now led her son to introduce him to 
Uncle, and while the two men were shaking hands 
and Herr Sesemann was expressing his heartfelt 
thanks and boundless astonishment to the old man, 
grandmamma wandered round to the back to see the 
old fir trees again. 

Here another unexpected sight met her gaze, for 
there, under the trees where the long branches had 
left a clear space on the ground, stood a great bush of 
the most wonderful dark blue gentians, as fresh and 
shining as if they were growing on the spot. She 
clasped her hands, enraptured with their beauty. 

“ How exquisite! what a lovely sight! ” she ex¬ 
claimed. “ Heidi, dearest child, come here! Is it 
you who have prepared this pleasure for me? It is 
perfectly wonderful! ” 

The children ran up. 


338 


HEIDI 


“ No, no, I did not put them there,” said Heidi, 
“ but I know who did/’ 

“ They grow just like that on the mountain, grand¬ 
mamma, only if anything they look more beautiful 
still,” Clara put in; “ but guess who brought those 
down to-day,” and as she spoke she gave such a 
pleased smile that the grandmother thought for a mo¬ 
ment the child herself must have gathered them. But 
that was hardly possible. 

At this moment a slight rustling was heard behind 
the fir trees. It was Peter, who had just arrived. 
He had made a long round, having seen from the 
distance who it was standing beside Uncle in front 
of the hut, and he was trying to slip by unobserved. 
But grandmamma had seen and recognized him, 
and suddenly the thought struck her that it might 
be Peter who had brought the flowers and that he 
was now trying to get away unseen, feeling shy about 
it; but she could not let him go off like that, he must 
have some little reward. 

“Come along, boy; come here, do not be afraid,” 
she called to him. 

Peter stood still, petrified with fear. After all he 
had gone through that day he felt he had no longer 
any power of resistance left. All he could think was, 
“ It’s all up with me now.” Every hair of his head 
stood on end, and he stepped forth from behind the 
fir trees, his face pale and distorted with terror. 

“ Courage, boy,” said grandmamma in her effort to 
dispel his shyness, “ tell me now straight out without 
hesitation, was it you who did it? ” 


GOOD-BYE 


339 


Peter did not lift his eyes and therefore did not see 
at what grandmamma was pointing. But he knew 
that Uncle was standing at the corner of the hut, fix¬ 
ing him with his grey eyes, while beside him stood 
the most terrible person that Peter could conceive 
— the police-constable from Frankfurt. Quaking in 
every limb, and with trembling lips he muttered a 
low, “ Yes.” 

‘‘ Well, and what is there dreadful about that? ” 
said grandmamma. 

“ Because — because — it is all broken to pieces 
and no one can put it together again.” Peter brought 
out his words with difficulty, and his knees knocked 
together so that he could hardly stand. 

Grandmamma went up to Uncle. “ Is that poor 
boy a little out of his mind?” she asked sympathis- 
ingly. 

“ Not in the least,” Uncle assured her, “ it is only 
that he was the wind that sent the chair rolling down 
the slope, and he is expecting his well-deserved pun¬ 
ishment.” 

Grandmamma found this hard to believe, for in her 
opinion Peter did not look an entirely bad boy, nor 
could he have any reason for destroying such a neces¬ 
sary thing as the chair. But Uncle had only given 
expression to the suspicion that he had from the 
moment the accident happened. The angry looks 
which Peter had from the beginning cast at Clara, 
and the other signs of his dislike to what had been 
taking place on the mountain, had not escaped Uncle’s 
eye. Putting two and two together he had come to 


340 


HEIDI 


the right conclusion as to the cause of the disaster, 
and he therefore spoke without hesitation when he 
accused Peter. The lady broke into lively expostu¬ 
lations on hearing this. 

“ No, no, dear Uncle, we will not punish the poor 
boy any further. One must be fair to him. Here 
are all these strangers from Frankfurt who come 
and carry away Heidi, his one sole possession, and a 
possession well worth having too, and he is left to sit 
alone day after day for weeks, with nothing to do 
but brood over his wrongs. No, no, let us be fair 
to him; his anger got the upper hand and drove him 
to an act of revenge — a foolish one, I own, but then 
we all behave foolishly when we are angry.” And 
saying this she went back to Peter, who still stood 
frightened and trembling. She sat down on the seat 
under the fir trees and called him to her kindly,— 
Come here, boy, and stand in front of me, for I 
have something to say to you. Leave off shaking 
and trembling, for I want you to listen to me. You 
sent the chair rolling down the mountain so that it 
was broken to pieces. That was a very wrong thing 
to do, as you yourself knew very well at the time, 
and you also knew that you deserved to be punished 
for it, and in order to escape this you have been doing 
all you can to hide the truth from everybody. But be 
sure of this, Peter: that those who do wrong make 
a mistake when they think no one knows anything 
about it. For God sees and hears everything, and 
when the wicked doer tries to hide what he has done, 


GOOD-BYE 


34t 


then God wakes up a little watchman that He places 
inside us all when we are born and who sleeps on 
quietly till we do something wrong. And the little 
watchman has a small goad in his hand, and when h' 
wakes up he keeps on pricking us with it, so that we 
have not a moment’s peace. And the watchman tor¬ 
ments us still further, for he keeps on calling out, 
‘Now you will be found out! Now they will drag 
you off to punishment! ’ And so we pass our life 
in fear and trouble, and never know a moment’s hap¬ 
piness or peace. Have you not felt something like 
that lately, Peter? ” 

Peter gave a contrite nod of the head, as one who 
knew all about it, for grandmamma had described 
his own feelings exactly. 

“ And you calculated wrongly also in another way,” 
continued grandmamma, “ for you see the harm you 
intended has turned out for the best for those you 
wished to hurt. As Clara had no chair to go in and 
yet wanted so much to see the flowers, she made the 
effort to walk, and every day since she has been 
walking better and better, and if she remains up here 
she will in time be able to go up the mountain every 
day, much oftener than she would have done in her 
chair. So you see, Peter, God is able to bring good 
out of evil for those whom you meant to injure, and 
you who did the evil were left to suffer the unhappy 
consequences of it. Do you thoroughly understand 
all I have said to you, Peter? If so, do not forget 
my words, and whenever you feel inclined to do any- 


342 


HEIDI 


thing wrong, think of the little watchman inside you 
with his goad and his disagreeable voice. Will you 
remember all this? 

“ Yes, I will,” answered Peter, still very subdued, 
for he did not yet know how the matter was going 
to end, as the police constable was still standing with 
the Uncle. 

“ That’s right, and now the thing is over and done 
for,” said grandmamma. “ But I should like you to 
have something for a pleasant reminder of the visitors 
from Frankfurt. Can you tell me anything that you 
have wished very much to have? What would you 
like best as a present?” 

Peter lifted his head at this, and stared open-eyed 
at grandmamma. Up to the last minute he had been 
expecting something dreadful to happen, and now he 
might have anything that he wanted. His mind 
seemed all of a whirl. 

“ I mean what I say,” went. on grandmamma. 
“You shall choose what you would like to have as 
a remembrance from the Frankfurt visitors, and as 
a token that they will not think any more of the 
wrong thing you did. Now do you understand me, 
boy? ” 

The fact began at last to dawn upon Peter’s mind 
that he had no further punishment to fear, and that 
the kind lady sitting in front of him had delivered 
him from the police constable. He suddenly felt as 
if the weight of a mountain had fallen off him. He 
had also by this time awakened to the further convic¬ 
tion that it was better to make a full confession at 


GOOD-BYE 


343 


once of an5^hing he had done wrong or had left un¬ 
done, and so he said, “ And I lost the paper, too,” 

Grandmamma had to consider a moment what he 
meant, but soon recalled his connection with her tele¬ 
gram, and answered kindly,— 

“You are a good boy to tell me! Never conceal 
anything you have done wrong, and then all will 
come right again. And now what would you like me 
to give you? ” 

Peter grew almost giddy with the thought that he 
could have anything in the world that he wished 
for. He had a vision of the yearly fair at Mayen- 
feld with the glittering stalls and all the lovely things 
that he had stood gazing at for hours, without a hope 
of ever possessing one of them, for Peter’s purse never 
held more than a halfpenny, and all these fascinating 
objects cost double that amount. There were the 
pretty little red whistles that he could use to call his 
goats, and the splendid knives with rounded handles, 
known as toad-strikers, with which one could do such 
famous work among the hazel bushes. 

Peter remained pondering; he was trying to think 
which of these two desirable objects he should best 
like to have, and he found it difficult to decide. Then 
a bright thought occurred to him; he would then 
be able to think over the matter between now and 
next year’s fair. 

“ A penny,” answered Peter, who was no longer in 
doubt. 

Grandmamma could not help laughing. “ That is 
not an extravagant request. Come here then! ” and 


344 


HEIDI 


she pulled out her purse and put four bright round 
shillings in his hand and then laid some pennies on top 
of it. “ We will settle our accounts at once,” she 
continued, ‘‘ and I will explain them to you. I have 
given you as many pennies as there are weeks in the 
year, and so every Sunday throughout the year you 
can take out a penny to spend.” 

“As long as I live?” said Peter quite innocently. 

Grandmamma laughed more still at this, and the 
men hearing her, paused in their talk to listen to 
what was going on. 

“ Yes, boy, you shall have it all your life — I will 
put it down in my will. Do you hear, my son? and 
you are to put it down in yours as well: a penny a 
week to Peter as long as he lives.” 

Herr Sesemann nodded his assent and joined in 
the laughter. 

Peter looked again at the present in his hand to 
make sure he was not dreaming, and then said, 
“ Thank God! ” 

And he went off running and leaping with more 
even than his usual agility, and this time managed to 
keep his feet, for it was not fear, but joy such as he 
had never known before in his life, that now sent him 
flying up the mountain. All trouble and trembling 
had disappeared, and he was to have a penny every 
week for life. 

As later, after dinner, the party were sitting to¬ 
gether chatting, Clara drew her father a little aside, 
and said with an eagerness that had been unknown 
to the little tired invalid,— 


GOOD-BYE 


345 


“ O papa, if you only knew all that grandfather 
has done for me from day to day! I cannot reckon 
his kindnesses, but I shall never forget them as long 
as I live! And I keep on thinking what I could do 
for him, or what present I could make him that would 
give him half as much pleasure as he has given me.” 

“That is just what I wish most myself, Clara,” 
replied her father, whose face grew happier each time 
he looked at his little daughter. “ I have been also 
thinking how we can best show our gratitude to our 
good benefactor.” 

Herr Sesemann now went over to where Uncle and 
grandmamma were engaged in lively conversation. 
Uncle stood up as he approached, and Herr Sese¬ 
mann, taking him by the hand said,— 

“ Dear friend, let us exchange a few words with 
one another. You will believe me when I tell you 
that I have known no real happiness for years past. 
What worth to me were money and property when 
they were unable to make my poor child well and 
happy? With the help of God you have made her 
whole and strong, and you have given new life not 
only to her but to me. Tell rhe now, in what way 
can I show my gratitude to you? I can never re¬ 
pay all you have done, but whatever is in my power 
to do is at your service. Speak, friend, and tell me 
what I can do? ” 

Uncle had listened to him quietly, with a smile 
of pleasure on his face as he looked at the happy 
father. 

“ Herr Sesemann,” he replied in his dignified way, 


HEIDI 


346 

“ believe me that I too have my share in the joy of 
your daughter’s recovery, and my trouble is well re¬ 
paid by it. I thank you heartily for all you have 
said, but I have need of nothing; I have enough for 
myself and the child as long as I live. One wish alone 
I have, and if that could be satisfied I should have 
no further care in life.” 

“ Speak, dear friend, and tell me what it is,” said 
Herr Sesemann entreatingly. 

“ 1 am growing old,” Uncle went on, “ and shall 
not be here much longer. I have nothing to leave 
the child when I die, and she has no relations, except 
one person who will aways like to make what profit 
out of her she can. If you could promise me that 
Heidi shall never have to go and earn her living 
among strangers, then you would richly reward me 
for all I have done for your child.” 

There could never be any question of such a thing 
as that, my dear friend,” said Herr Sesemann quickly. 
“ I look upon the child as our own. Ask my mother, 
my daughter; you may be sure that they will never 
allow the child to be left in any one else’s care! But 
if it will make you happier I give you here my hand 
upon it. I promise you: Heidi shall never have to 
go and earn her living among strangers; I will make 
provision against this both during my life and after. 
But now I have something else to say. Independent 
of her circumstances, the child is totally unfitted to 
live a life away from home; we found out that when 
she was with us. But she has made friends, and 
among them I know one who is at this moment in 


GOOD-BYE 


347 


Frankfurt; he is winding up his affairs there, that he 
may be free to go where he likes and take his rest. 
I am speaking of my friend, the doctor, who came 
over here in the autumn and who, having well consid¬ 
ered your advice, intends to settle in this neighbor¬ 
hood, for he has never felt so well and happy any¬ 
where as in the company of you and Heidi. So you 
see the child will henceforth have two protectors 
near her — and may they both live long to share 
the task! ” 

“ God grant it indeed m.ay be so! ” added grand¬ 
mamma, shaking Uncle’s hand warmly as she spoke, 
to show how sincerely she echoed her son’s wish. 
Then putting her arm round Heidi, who was standing 
near, she drew the child to her. 

“ And I have a question to ask you too, dear Heidi. 
Tell me if there is anything you particularly wish 
for.” 

“ Yes, there is,” answered Heidi promptly, look¬ 
ing up delightedly at grandmamma. 

‘‘ Then tell me at once, dear, what it is.” 

“ I want to have the bed I slept in at Frankfurt 
with the high pillows and the thick coverlid, and then 
grandmother will not have to lie with her head down 
hill and hardly able to breathe, and she will be warm 
enough under the coverlid not to have to wear her 
shawl in bed to prevent her freezing to death.” 

In her eagerness to obtain what she had set her 
heart upon Heidi hardly gave herself time to get 
out all she had to say, and did not pause for breath 
till she reached the end of her sentence. 


HEIDI 


34 S 

“ Dearest child,” answered grandmamma, moved 
by Heidi’s speech, “ what is this you tell me of grand¬ 
mother! You are right to remind me. In the midst 
of our own happiness we forget too often that which 
we ought to remember before all things. When God 
has shown us some special mercy we should think 
at once of those who are denied so many things. I 
will telegraph to Frankfurt at once! Fraulein Rot- 
tenmeier shall pack up the bed this very day, and it 
will be here in two days’ time. God willing, grand¬ 
mother shall soon be sleeping comfortably upon it.” 

Heidi skipped round grandmamma in her glee, and 
then stopping all of a sudden, said quickly, “ I must 
make haste down and tell grandmother, and she will 
be in trouble too at my not having been to see her 
for such a long time.” For she felt she could not 
wait another moment before carrying the good news 
down to grandmother, and, moreover, the recollection 
came to her of the distress the old woman was in 
when she last saw her. 

“ No, no, Heidi, what can you be thinking of,” said 
her grandfather reprovingly. ‘‘You can’t be run¬ 
ning backwards and forwards like that when you 
have visitors.” 

But grandmamma interfered on Heidi’s behalf. 
“The child is not so far wrong. Uncle,” she said, 
“and poor grandmother has too long been deprived 
of Heidi for our sakes. Let us all go down to her 
together. I believe my horse is waiting for me and 
I can ride down from there, and as soon as I get to 


GOOD-BYE 


349 

Dorfli the message shall be sent off. What do you 
think of my plan, son? ’’ 

Herr Sesemann had not yet had time to speak of 
his travelling plans, so he begged his mother to wait 
a few moments that he might tell her what he pro¬ 
posed doing. 

Herr Sesemann had been arranging that he and 
his mother should make a little tour in Switzer¬ 
land, first ascertaining if Clara was in a fit state 
to go some part of the way with them. But now he 
would have the full enjoyment of his daughter’s 
company, and that being so he did not want to miss 
any of these beautiful days of later summer, but to 
start at once on the journey that he now looked for¬ 
ward to with such additional pleasure. And so he 
proposed that they should spend the night in Dorfli 
and that next day he should come and fetch Clara, 
then they would all three go down to Ragatz and 
make that their starting point. 

Clara was rather upset at first at the thought of say¬ 
ing good-bye like this to the mountain; she could not 
help being pleased, however, at the prospect of the 
journey, and no time was allowed her to give way to 
lamentation. 

Grandmamma had already taken Heidi by the hand, 
preparatory to leading the way, when she suddenly 
turned. “ But what is to become of Clara? ” she 
asked, remembering all at once that the child could 
not yet take so long a walk. She gave a nod of satis¬ 
faction as she saw that Uncle had already taken Clara 


350 


HEIDI 


up in his arms and was following her with sturdy 
strides. Herr Sesemann brought up the rear, and so 
they all started down the mountain. 

Heidi kept jumping for joy as she and grandmamma 
walked along side by side, and grandmamma asked all 
about grandmother, how she lived, and what she did, 
especially in the winter when it was so cold. And 
Heidi gave her a minute account of everything, for 
she knew all that went on at grandmother’s, and told 
her how grandmother sat crouching in her corner and 
trembling with cold. She was able to give her exact 
particulars of what grandmother had and had not to 
eat. Grandmamma listened with interest and sym¬ 
pathy until they came to Grandmother’s. Brigitta 
was just hanging out Peter’s second shirt in the sun, 
so that he might have it ready to put on when he had 
worn the other long enough. As soon as she saw 
the company approaching she rushed indoors. 

“The whole party of them are just going past, 
mother, evidently all returning home again,” she in¬ 
formed the old woman. “ Uncle is with them, carry¬ 
ing the sick child.” 

“Alas, is it really to be so then?” sighed the 
grandmother. “ And you saw Heidi with them? 
Then they are taking her away. If only she could 
come and put her hand in mine again! If I could but 
hear her voice once more! ” 

At this moment the door flew open and Heidi 
sprang across to the corner and threw her arms round 
grandmother. 

“ Grandmother! grandmother! my bed is to be sent 


GOOD-BYE 


351 


from Frankfurt with all the three pillows and the 
thick coverlid; grandmamma says it will be here in 
two days.” Heidi could not get out her words 
quickly enough, for she was impatient to see grand¬ 
mother’s great joy at the news. The latter smiled, 
but said a little sadly,— 

“ She must indeed be a good kind lady, and I ought 
to be glad to think she is taking you with her, but I 
shall not outlive it long.” 

“What is this I hear? Who has been telling my 
good grandmother such tales ? ” exclaimed a kindly 
voice, and grandmother felt her hand taken and 
warmly pressed, for grandmamma had followed Heidi 
in and heard all that was said. “ No, no, there is no 
thought of such a thing! Heidi is going to stay with 
you and make you happy. We want to see her again, 
but we shall come to her. We hope to pay a visit 
to the Aim every year, for we have good cause to 
offer up especial thanks to God upon this spot where 
so great a miracle has been wrought upon our child.” 

And now grandmother’s face was lighted up with 
genuine happiness, and she pressed Frau Sesemann’s 
hand over and over again, unable to speak her thanks, 
while two large tears of joy rolled down her aged 
cheeks. And Heidi saw the glad change come over 
grandmother’s face, and she too now was entirely 
happy. 

She clung to the old woman, saying, “ Hasn’t it all 
come about, grandmother, just like the hymn I read 
to you last time? Isn’t the bed from Frankfurt sent 
to make you well? ” 


352 


HEIDI 


“ Yes, Heidi, and many, many other good things 
too, which God has sent me,’’ said the grandmother, 
deeply moved. I did not think it possible that there 
were so many kind people, ready to trouble them¬ 
selves about a poor old woman and to do so much for 
her. Nothing strengthens our belief in a kind heav¬ 
enly Father who never forgets even the least of His 
creatures so much as to know that there are such 
people, full of goodness and pity for a poor useless 
creature such as I am.” 

“ My good grandmother,” said Frau Sesemann, 
interrupting her, “ we are all equally poor and help¬ 
less in the eyes of God, and all have equal need that 
He should not forget us. But now we must say good¬ 
bye, but only till we meet again, for when we pay 
our next year’s visit to the Aim you will be the first 
person we shall come and see; meanwhile we shall not 
forget you.” And Frau Sesemann took grand¬ 
mother’s hand again and shook it in farewell. 

But grandmother would not let her off even then 
without more words of gratitude, and without calling 
down on her benefactress and all belonging to her 
every blessing that God had to bestow. 

At last Herr Sesemann and his mother were able to 
continue their journey downwards, while Uncle car¬ 
ried Clara back home, with Heidi beside him, so full 
of joy of what was coming for grandmother that every 
step was a jump. 

But there were many tears shed the following morn¬ 
ing by the departing Clara, who wept to say good-bye 
to the beautiful mountain home where she had been 


GOOD-BYE 


353 


happier than ever in her life before. Heidi did her 
best to comfort her. “ Summer will be here again 
in no time,” she said, “ and then you will come again, 
and it will be nicer still, for you will be able to walk 
about from the beginning. We can then go out every 
day with the goats up to where the flowers grow, and 
enjoy ourselves from the moment you arrive.” 

Herr Sesemann had come as arranged to fetch his 
little daughter away, and was just now standing and 
talking with Uncle, for they had much to say to one 
another. Clara felt somewhat consoled by Heidi’s 
words, and wiped away her tears. 

“ Be sure you say good-bye for me to Peter and the 
goats, and especially to Little Swan. I wish I could 
give Little Swan a present, for she has helped so 
much to make me strong.” 

“ Well, you can if you like,” replied Heidi, send 
her a little salt; you know how she likes to lick some 
out of grandfather’s hand when she comes home at 
night.” 

Clara was delighted at this idea. “ Oh, then I 
shall send a hundred pounds of salt from Frankfurt, 
for I want her to have something as a remembrance 
of me.” 

Herr Sesemann now beckoned to the children as 
it was time to be off. Grandmamma’s white horse 
had been brought up for Clara, as she was no longer 
obliged to be carried in a chair. 

Heidi ran to the far edge of the slope and continued 
to wave her hand to Clara until the last glimpse of 
horse and rider had disappeared. 


354 


HEIDI 


And now the bed has arrived, and grandmother is 
sleeping so soundly all night that she is sure to grow 
stronger. 

Grandmamma, moreover, has not forgotten how 
cold the winter is on the mountain. She has sent a 
large parcel of warm clothing of every description, so 
that grandmother can wrap herself round and round, 
and will certainly not tremble with cold now as she 
sits in her comer. 

There is a great deal of building going on at Dorfli. 
The doctor has arrived, and, for the present, is oc¬ 
cupying his old quarters. His friends have advised 
him to buy the old house that Uncle and Heidi live 
in during the winter, which had evidently, judging 
from the height of the rooms and the magnificent 
stove with its artistically-painted tiles, been a fine 
gentleman's place at one time. The doctor is having 
this part of the old house rebuilt for himself, the other 
part being repaired for Uncle and Heidi, for the 
doctor is aware that Uncle is a man of independent 
spirit, who likes to have a house to himself. Quite 
at the back a warm and well-walled stall is being 
put up for the two goats, and there they will pass 
their winter in comfort. 

The doctor and Uncle are becoming better friends 
every day, and as they v/alk about the new buildings 
to see how they are getting on, their thoughts con¬ 
tinually turn to Heidi, for the chief pleasure to each 
in connection with the house is that they will have 
the light-hearted little child with them there. 


GOOD-BYE 


355 


‘‘ Dear friend/’ said the doctor on one of these 
occasions as they were standing together, “ you will 
see this matter in the same light as I do, I am sure. 
I share your happiness in the child as if, next to you, 
I was the one to whom she most closely belonged, 
but I wish also to share all responsibilities, concerning 
her and to do my best for the child. I shall then 
feel I have my rights in her, and shall look forward 
to her being with me and caring for me in my old 
age, which is the one great wish of my heart. She 
will have the same claims upon me as if she were 
my own child, and I shall provide for her as such, 
and so we shall be able to leave her without anxiety 
when the day comes that you and I must go.” 

Uncle did not speak, but he clasped the doctor’s 
hand in his, and his good friend could read in the old 
man’s eyes how greatly moved he was and how glad 
and grateful he felt. 

Heidi and Peter were at this moment sitting with 
grandmother, and the one had so much to relate, and 
the others to listen to, that they all three got closer 
and closer to one another, hardly able to breathe in 
their eagerness not to miss a word. 

And how much there was to tell of all the events 
that had taken place that last summer, for they had 
not had many opportunities of meeting since then. 

And it was difficult to say which of the three looked 
the happiest at being together again, and at the recol¬ 
lection of all the wonderful things that had hap¬ 
pened. Mother Brigitta’s face was perhaps the hap^- 


HEIDI 


356 

piest of all, as now, with the help of Heidi’s explana^ 
tion, she was able to understand for the first time the 
history of Peter’s weekly penny for life. 

Then at last the grandmother spoke, “ Heidi, read 
me one of the hymns! I feel I can do nothing for the 
remainder of my life but thank the Father in Heaven 
for all the mercies he has shown us! ” 








